


A Tale of Dog and Monster

by Voice_of_Mischief



Series: A Tale of Dog and Monster [1]
Category: Undertale
Genre: F/M, Multi, Other, Please Don't Hate Me, So much angst, basically reader is a mentally ill anti social, death mention in chapter nine, heavy depression in chapter nine, self harm mention in chapter nine, so basically lots of angst, um
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-07 23:59:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 55,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5475389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voice_of_Mischief/pseuds/Voice_of_Mischief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You're not a people person; could you turn out to be a monster person instead?</p><p>You're a typical awkward human, except... for some baggage. You've come to accept that no one wants to deal with another persons problems, so you've become a recluse. When your new skeletal neighbor starts probing, you put up your shields. You don't want to tell him. If you do, he'll leave. That's how it always works. </p><p>Isn't it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anything but this

You were not a people person.

Okay, that was an understatement. You avoided human (or monster, as of this past year) contact at all costs. Why? It was a long series of events, but to make it short, you suffered from some major social anxiety, and depression didn't exactly help. So, with very bad social skills, and no one wanting to be friends with someone like you anyway (no one likes the baggage, you found at a young age), you gravitated to animals.

By nine, you had your first rabbit. By ten, your first cat. By eleven, your first dog. By twelve, you got another rabbit since the first seemed lonely. 

Now, you and Luka, your wonderful one-of-everything dog, lived within walking distance of town. She was your best friend. She was your anchor. Whenever you had to go out, you tried to make sure you could bring her with you; it made everything so much easier.

Of course, you had one friend that stayed through it all, thick and thin, but she lived far away. You tended to fall out of contact with her whenever her job got busy, since you were never the one to call or text first. Lately, you'd been worried she'd forgotten about you or had moved on.

Of course, you were too scared to ask. Maybe at some point, you'd call her up. But for now, you'd rather stay inside your small comfort zone, thank you.

Where were we, again? Oh yeah, Luka had decided to run off while you got the mail. At first you hadn't noticed, since your driveway was long and the walk had been quiet and pleasant. Until you realized you'd left the front door open.

Well, shit.

You dropped the mail and dashed off, frantically checking the street for your adventurous canine. Your gaze swept back and forth across the sometimes busy road, heart thumping against your ribs. After a moment of looking, you saw something odd.

A few houses down, in front the house that had recently been moved into by people you would hopefully never meet, was a short man in a blue hoodie, dancing awkwardly around his yard. Yeah, you didn't want to meet someone that did... whatever that was. 

You quickly began trotting up the street, your bare feet pattering against the pavement, still damp with dew. You could just hear the strangers voice, carrying over the still air:

"c'mon, bud." It was low and growling in his throat. In a word, he sounded pissed. "you wanna have a b a d t i m e?" You slowed a little to watch him. His hands were held up in front of him, and it looked like there was a gap where he was missing a finger? Geez, his fingers were thin... He really needed to eat some time. He continued to shimmy around his yard, almost like he was trying to corner something.

And he was.

He was trying to corner your dog.

You screeched to a halt and stared in disbelief. 

She was holding something and appeared to having the time of her life keeping it away from him. It was long, thin, white, just like his fingers, almost like-

Holy shit, he was a skeleton.

And even holier shit, your dog had stolen one of his fucking fingers.

"Oh my God."

The skeleton's head jerked up and swiveled to look at you. For a moment, one of his eye sockets seemed to be flashing, but the next they were settled into a lazy look, with two white circles of light floating idly in the place of actual eyes.

Weird.

"Luka, get over here." 

The skeleton's eye... bones(?) lifted slightly, and watched in silence as your dog trotted smugly past him, head high. She sat happily beside you, eyes flashing with mischief. "Drop it." She sniffed. "Drop it!" She opened her mouth plainly, and the finger plopped to ground, still covered in drool. You were burning with embarrassment as you tossed the appendage back to the skeleton, who caught it easily. It seemed to pop back into place like nothing happened.

"thanks, bud. if you hadn't shown up when you did, your pal there might have had a bad time." His eyes flashed to Luka, who opened her mouth and hung out her tongue in a laugh. You ruffled the thick fur of her ears harshly.

"I am so sorry. She normally doesn't..." You waved a hand, utterly embarrassed. Was melting into a little puddle of goo out of the question?

"i hope not. i assume stealing people's fingers wouldn't look very good if they weren't a skeleton."

"Seriously, I'm sorry, I turned for like two seconds, and, uh..." You really were considering the goo thing.

"don't worry about it." He shrugged nonchalantly, then waved lazily and shambled back into his house as if nothing had happened. 

You turned to Luka. "You're a jerk." She just 'laughed' at you, seemingly pleased with herself. No treats for her today.


	2. This one is too long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You receive apology spaghetti. Also, flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was bored so I just wrote another chapter and it turned into this disaster. Sorry it stinks lol.

You planned to shut yourself in for the next (at least) 72 hours to avoid all contact with anything breathing. You shut the blinds, drew the curtains, locked the doors, turned off all but one lamp and settled to watch a movie with Luka on your beat up couch until you got bored or had to tend to the flowers.

You were settling into movie two, bundled in your favorite sweat pants and baggy shirt, with Luka's very pleased looking mug on your lap, when there was furious knocking on your door. Luka barked, jumping to her feet and racing to the door and sniffing furiously at the mantle.

Whyyyyy?

You shuffled to it and undid the lock, cracking it open just barely. "Um, hello?"

"GREETINGS, HUMAN!"

You cringed at the loud voice. "I think you've got the wrong... human." You went to close the door, but Luka's nose was in the way.

"ARE YOU SURE? SANS SAID THIS WAS THE HOUSE THE HUMAN WENT TO."

This guy knew the guy who's finger your dog stole. Lovely. "Oh. Yeah, I'm the, uh, dog owner." The door was still barely open. 

"AH HA! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NEVER WRONG!" You highly doubted that. Also, 'the great Papyrus.' "HUMAN, I HAVE BROUGHT AN APOLOGY GIFT ON MY BROTHER'S BEHALF." A plastic container of... spaghetti? was shoved into the gap of the door. You pulled it open a little more, staring at it.

"Oh, uh, you don't... have to. It was... my fault." You avert your gaze, but from the corner of your eye you see that this guy- another skeleton- is almost two feet taller than you. You shrink back a little, involuntarily.

"BUT HUMAN! MY BROTHER INCONVENIENCED YOU AND YOUR LARGE CANINE!" You glance at him to see a perplexed look flash across his almost childlike face.

"No, no, I was the one..." You gently put your hands on the box and push it towards him a little. "Really, I can't..."

"BUT HUMAN! I MADE THIS WITH YOU IN MIND!" His gloved hands pushed it much more strongly into your hands. You try to push it back, but now he's just waving it encouragingly in your direction. "HUMAN, DO YOU PERHAPS... DISLIKE MY SPAGHETTI?"

"No, no!" Agh, the hurt look is too much. "I just- I don't deserve it?" He tilts his head at you, eyes round and curious.

"OF COURSE YOU DO! EVERYONE DESERVES SPAGHETTI!" You sigh. Luka is practically drooling on the container at this point. 

"you might as well take it. he's not going to give it up any time soon." The fourth addition to the party at your door startles you into jumping back. How long had Sans been standing next to Papyrus? And why hadn't he said anything? 

"But..." You stare helplessly at the box.

"SANS, DID YOU BREAK THE HUMAN?"

You almost say 'No, I've always been like this,' but catch yourself and sigh. "Okay. Okay, thank you for the spaghetti, you didn't have to. Really. Thank you." You take it, then stand there awkwardly, holding the box of still warm spaghetti.

There's a pause. They're staring at you expectantly. 

"Oh! Oh, um... Would you like... to come in?" The questions sends your gut churning nervously, but you step away from the door, Luka following after, eyes glued to the spaghetti. The two skeletons hesitate, but then Papyrus, cape(?) fluttering, bounds inside.

"WOW, HUMAN! YOU HAVE MANY BOOKS!" 

Oh, yeah, you kinda left everything everywhere. And you didn't have time to shove everything into your room. You shrugged uncomfortably as he leafed through one. "Yeah. It's... like a hobby."

"sure is dark in here, huh?" You jump as Sans appears at your shoulder.

"I guess." You pause, putting the container on the crowded coffee table before flinging open the curtains. You don't mention it was because you were hoping no one would stop by.

You bundle up the blankets that had been thrown into the couch and shove it into a closet. "I'm, um, sorry that this place is a mess. I wasn't... expecting any company." You pick up the spaghetti again and move into the kitchen, calling out behind you, "Make yourselves comfortable I guess."

Wait, did they even know your name?

"HUMAN!"

It would seem not.

"Y-yeah?" You went back into the living room, expecting the worst.

"YOUR LARGE CANINE SEEMS TO BE ENRAPTURED BY MY ARMS."

Please don't steal his entire arm.

No, Luka was just shoving her head up under his arm, trying to get some attention from him. You smiled a little.

"No, no, she just wants you to pet her. Luka, leave 'im be." She seemed very content to not listen to you. She pointedly nuzzled Papyrus again. You sigh.

"I AM GLAD TO HAVE MADE FRIENDS WITH YOU AND YOUR HUMAN, CANINE LUKA!" Papyrus gave her the most sincere smile you'd ever seen and started petting her, surprised when she let out a sound to indicate that was very much enjoying herself. He 'nyeh heh heh'd' softly at her as he kneeled beside her on the floor, which was just about the cutest thing you'd ever seen.

You laughed a little, relaxing. Luka was here; you could always distract yourself with her if you got uncomfortable.

Speaking of uncomfortable, Sans had settled himself on your sofa. You didn't want to invade his space, so you sat in a love seat a little ways away and watched the scene quietly.

"we don't bite, y'know.' Sans eyes flashed at you, and something about that made the hair on the back of neck stand up. You shrank a little.

"I know... I just... I'm not... good at this kind of thing." You shrugged.

"what kind of thing." That wasn't a question. Yikes.

"Um... Socializing? I guess? I mean, it's nothing personal, really, I'm just not..." You shrugged helplessly.

Sans was watching you through a seemingly lazy gaze, but it was tinged with something akin to suspicion. Suddenly, it dawned on you.

"Oh my god, no, I'm not- I don't hate monsters. I mean, Luka is practically one at times." No one laughed. Add that failed joke to list of things that went wrong today. "I'm sorry if I came across as trying to avoid you- I mean, I might have been, but not because you're monsters. Mostly because I thought you'd hate me since my dog kind of... stole your finger? Oh god, I didn't mean it to come across like that..." You ran hand over your face, grimacing.

There was a pause. Then, a deep chuckle seemed to rise out of Sans, rattling his ribs slightly. "eesh, kid, relax. like i said, we don't bite."

"INDEED, HUMAN!" Papyrus suddenly leapt up from his spot on the floor, striking a pose. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS FLATTERED THAT YOU WERE SO NERVOUS OVER TRYING TO IMPRESS ME, BUT THERE IS NO NEED! YOU AND YOUR CANINE HAVE BEEN ADDED TO MY EVER INCREASING FRIEND ROSTER!" Luka did not seem pleased at the lack of affection at first, but was quickly swept up in the excitement and danced around Papyrus' feet, woofing softly.

You smiled, then paused. "Wait. You want to be friends?"

"OF COURSE, HUMAN!"

"Oh, um, I'm (Y/N). By the way." You were smiling, happy that your new neighbor was so excited to get to know you even if your dog had... Stop thinking about it.

"MAY I HAVE YOUR PHONE NUMBER?" Papyrus was practically glowing with happiness. How could you refuse that?

"Oh, sure, of course." You relayed your number to him, and caught a glimpse of him putting in your number as "HUMAN (Y/N) AND CANINE LUKA" before your phone suddenly buzzed.

This is the great Papyrus!!! :DDD

You smiled and nodded at him, adding his contact as "The Great Papyrus." He did a small dance around the living room, Luka following bound for bound. As she went past the couch, she realized that someone was in her spot on the couch and placed her shaggy brown head directly in Sans' lap.

You froze.

He stared at her for a long moment, smile tense, then slowly lowered a hand to her head and gave her a quick pat. She thumped her tail on the floor a few times. He relaxed and absently ran his fingers over her ears, watching her carefully.

"WOWIE, SANS! THE CANINE SEEMS TO LIKE YOU DESPITE YOU HECKLING HER THIS MORNING!" 

Moment lost.

Sans looked up lazily. "no bones about it, she doesn't even have a bone to pick with me."

A pause. After a moment, Papyrus groaned, and you realized-

"Did you just-"

"tibia honest, I was waiting for the opportunity." He caught your gaze and shrugged.

You tried to grimace, but ended up laughing instead. Papyrus grumbled unhappily. Suddenly, your phone went off. A notification was blinking on the screen.

Noon. You had to go check on the flowers.

"Oh, gosh. I'm sorry, I have to go out and take care of something, I don't mean to push you out the door but-"

Papyrus literally scooped up Sans. "IT IS NO TROUBLE HUMAN! I AM GLAD THINGS HAVE BEEN MENDED BETWEEN YOU AND MY VERY SORRY BROTHER!" He pointedly looked down at Sans.

"sure thing, bro."

"Oh, no, I'm the one..." Just give it up, (Y/N). "Um, thanks for the spaghetti?"

"YES, BE SURE TO EAT IT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU AND YOUR COMPANION THINK OF MY WONDERFUL COOKING SKILLS!" He dashed out the door, Sans tucked under his arm. Sans grinned and waved as they disappeared up the drive.

You shoved your shoes on, not bothering to put them on properly. You smile at Luka. "Well, thanks for... bothering the neighbors, I suppose. At least I got a friend out of it. Do you think Sans will want to be friends, too? I mean, I know he already likes you, but I don't think he likes me very much."

She sneezed loudly. 

"Yeah, I hope so too. They seem... nice." Nicer than most, anyway.


	3. People always behave when others are watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day on the job helps Sans warm up to you a bit, maybe. Also, humans are dicks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coughs awkwardly because this is like way too long and I still don't know how to write this oops. I'll try to keep them a little shorter, I guess? If I'm doing anything wrong or you have some pointers for filler chapters, be sure to leave a comment, if you want!

"Sweetie, please don't hold him like that."

You'd nearly had a heart attack when you spotted the little girl leaning over the rabbit pen, holding Honeybun by his armpits, hind legs dangling, every so often churning against the air. It was good he was pretty chill, otherwise, if he'd kicked out too hard...

That was the hectic thing about working at the local pet shop; with you being the only 'casual expert' on nearly all the species in the shop (except birds, and you only knew the basics of lizard and gecko care), you were constantly having to make sure disasters didn't happen between customers and potential pets. Rabbits especially.

You gently pried her hands away from the rabbit, readjusting them: "Hold him like this; one hand around his shoulders, one under his butt, that way he's more supported and calm. See? He's already warming up to it!" Kids were easy to talk to, you found. Especially when animals were involved. 

The girl's parents snorted at you, but you tried to focus. "Now, I need to feed these guys. Would you like to help?" You gave her your best smile. She nodded energetically.

Yes, at the pet shop, you'd really landed quite the deal. You basically just patrolled around, preventing disasters, feeding the animals, and giving advice when the basics the others knew didn't cut it. Also, sometimes, when monsters strolled in in search of a pet, other customers would snort and say something like they should be the one being sold. You normally intervened before anything bad could happen, directing jerks out of the store.

What? Monsters were doing their best, and humans were assholes. It was the best you could do to help out the newcomers.

You showed the girl how to hold out a hand, flat, piled with nuggets, to feed the young rabbits. She wiggled when their whiskers brushed her at first, but soon relaxed. At least she wasn't the type to pull and tug and poke at the animals; those were the hardest to control, especially with bad parents around.

You stood when she was done and let her out of the pen, and she dashed off to tell her parents all about how she was like a rabbit whisperer. You laughed a little, heading for the fish.

"Hey, Charlie. Still haven't been adopted yet?" You said to large cichlid, who flashed you a look that practically screamed 'What do you think?' You chuckled. Poor Charlie had been brought back twice because people simply didn't understand that aggressive fish did exist and would, in fact, kill everything that moved. You dropped a pinch of chow into his tank and he lazily went to the surface. "I'm sure someone will see the stars in you one day, buddy." You smiled at him, then turned, jumping when you nearly ran into someone. You sheepishly dodged around them, embarrassed. Sometimes you forgot yourself in the animals and let your guard slip, but you only ended up wanting to curl up into a ball and disappear. That wasn't new, but it happened whenever you relaxed around the shop.

Not everyone seemed to get your never ending affection for all the creatures there.

 

Your lunch break started at noon, and lasted for thirty minutes, so that you gave five minutes to get home, five minutes to check on the flowers, fifteen minutes to eat, and five minutes to get back. It was a lovely system. 

You pedaled your way home on your bike (what? It saved money and kept you at least a little fit!). It was a lovely day, a little warm, but at least the uniform didn't draw in too much heat. You pulled down the long drive way, pulling to a gentle stop outside the garage door. 

"Luka, I'm back!" You swung open the front door, dropping the bike lock on the small table there. A 'Woof!' let you know she was in the kitchen, doing God knows what. 

On the way into the large backyard, you picked up a watering can on the way, and opened the fence gate and strolled along the faint trail into the woods. A minute later, and you arrived at the clearing.

Ah, yes, they needed water, just as you expected. You snipped off any dead blooms, picked away any weeds, and brushed off the fallen leaves. They seemed green and healthy, but you were never one to have a green thumb, and could only hope you were doing things right.

On the way back, Luka joined you. You smiled and ruffled her fur, feeling lighter than you had in a while. Once inside, you contemplated the spaghetti in the fridge, and eventually stuffed it into the microwave. After thirty seconds, you picked up a noodle and tossed it to Luka. She caught it expertly.

"What do you think?"

She licked her chops loudly. You laughed and tossed another one before digging in quickly.

It was a little overcooked, but it was good otherwise. You rinsed out the container with a sense of satisfaction. You had just eaten and enjoyed something a friend had made for you without feeling guilty. That deserved a round of applause on your part, you thought.

"Alright, behave while I'm gone, okay?" You swung open the door, and nearly walked into someone standing in your porch. You jerked back in time to avoid the disaster, nearly tripping. 

"AH, HUMAN! I SEE YOU WERE EXPECTING US?"

Oh, good, it's just Papyrus.

"maybe they're a telepath and knew you were standing out here."

Oh, no, Sans is with him.

"I-I'm sorry! I was just about to leave and wasn't expecting to see you here, so I nearly ran into you, and, uh...." You ran a hand over your face.

"I SEE! WHERE ARE YOU OFF TO? MAYBE WE CAN JOIN YOU!"

"Oh, um..." You hated to admit it, especially in front of Sans, who you assumed had already gathered you were basically like Crazy-Old-Dog-Lady, the prequel. It would kind of explain the look he kept sending you that sent your skin prickling. Disgust, maybe it was. "I work at, um, the pet shop on Main Street? The big one?" You squirmed uncomfortably. Sans' gaze flickered to the logo on your shirt and your tag beside it and grinned wider.

"guess it's mandible-tory for you to work with animals, huh?" 

"SANS." Papyrus looked like he was about to blow a fuse. "DO NOT START THIS IN FRONT MY NEW FRIEND. YOU MIGHT SCARE THEM OFF WITH YOUR TERRIBLE PUNS."

"No, no, it's, um, it's okay." Despite that the joke stung (it was a little too close to home for your taste), you gave your best smile, shrugging. "I find 'em kind of funny." Not that one, though.

Luka woofed behind you.

"Yeah, uh, I should get going... The spaghetti was great, by the way?"

Papyrus was beaming. "WE WILL JOIN YOU AND SEE WHAT ANIMAL BASED ADVENTURES YOU HAVE DURING YOUR DAY!"

You almost said "Don't you have anything better to do?" but instead just nodded. "You'll have to buy something, though. Otherwise they'll think you're just loitering and kick you out." 

"DO THEY SELL FOOD FOR PET ROCKS, BY CHANCE?"

"What?"

 

They were serious about the whole pet rock thing, you realized. You decided to just give them some protein pellets meant for geckos, since it was cheap and didn't smell. After that fiasco, you went about your day as usual.

Well, almost as usual. Papyrus was watching you tend to the various creatures with intrigue, and asked many questions. You responded the best you could, which only seemed to encourage him. Sans had seemingly disappeared. For that, you were somewhat glad.

In a way, you kind of hoped you could have bonded over animals, but he seemed to have no interest in either you or the animals. Even if wasn't personal, it still kind of hurt.

What? You couldn't help it.

Just before your shift ended, some group of men entered, and they practically radiated trouble. Some armless monster kid was by the snake exhibit, marveling as they slithered along, unbothered by his presence. It was cute, but you prickled when the men honed in on him.

"Uh oh, guys. Looks like one of animals got out."

"Least we can do is put it back in cage for them, right?"

You grabbed the nearest thing- a small bag of dog chow- when one of them grabbed the kid and headed for one of the wire rabbit cages on display with him. You approached, then cranked it back and swung it with all your might. 

The man staggered, dropping the kid, who scampered off somewhere behind you. The whole place fell silent.

"I'd suggest you four either buy something or leave. We can call the cops to escort you out if you decide to prove yourself a threat to customers or animals." You met their gaze, stiff and ready to defend yourself with anything nearby- the bag had split on contact with the side of man's head, and you noted that having to clean that up would be worth it.

They sneered at you, squaring their shoulders. 

Until the manager appeared.

Then they took off.

Ah, yes, your manager was not known for his mercy. You thanked him for that. You against four men looking for trouble might not have ended well, no matter how many incidental weapons were littered around the establishment.

You let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding, deflating.

"Yo!! That... was totally Undyne of you!!" 

The excited voice came from just behind you, and you turned to see the short, armless monster who they'd threatened. Undyne? Was that like, a new word for cool? You hoped so. "Um, thanks?"

"No prob!! Thanks to you for saving me like that!! It was totally awesome!!" With that, he scampered off. 

Well okay then.

Your manager approached, looking questioning. You quickly explained and he just nodded, passing you a broom and glancing pointedly at the scattered dog food. You dipped your head and began to sweep up.

"do you always do stuff like that?"

Sans was literally going to give you a heart attack one of these days.

"Like... what?" You were tensed again. Attack people with bags of dog food? No, the last time all you did was push over an exhibit to distract some thugs from hassling some blue rabbit guy and his orange cat friend. Your gut churned anyway.

"stick your neck out for us, or are you only doing cause we're watching?"

"What? No, I kind of have to do it all the time. Like last week, some guys wanted to mess with some guy from a nice cream stand and his friend..." You went back to sweeping. "That's the first time I actually hit one, though. I mean, he was just a kid, that wasn't fair." You scowled at the broom and pushed the remaining pieces into a pile, then tried pushing it back into the bag. "Not like it's ever fair, anyway. Humans are the always the ones starting it. So, y'know, maybe one should to be the one to finish it, I guess?" You bent down, scooping up a handful of the food and feeding it gently into the rip in the bag.

After a moment, a pair of skeletal hands helped you. You were surprised and looked at him. He wouldn't meet your gaze.

"... sorry for thinking the worst of ya, kid." He finally said. "it's just really rare to find a decent human around here, and with the awkward greeting you gave us," he chuckled at this, and didn't complete the sentence.

You nearly spat 'Yeah, guess you don't have much experience with people like me, huh?' but instead settled for, "Like I said, it's nothing personal. I'm like that with everyone, human or monster." You didn't want to spill your life story to some guy you just met that already hated you, so you shut up after that.

You bought the busted bag of dog food and decided to head home. Papyrus gushed over your 'act of heroism for all monster kind' before he waved goodbye and went, enthusiastically, on his way. Sans followed, stopping to watch you mount your bike before following his brother.

You immediately collapsed on your couch when you got home. You didn't know if your exhaustion was from facing off the four punks, or the stress of juggling your new friend and your bad social skills.

Maybe both.

Either way, Luka was more than happy to curl up next to you.


	4. Just let me enjoy it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have dinner at the skelebros house. Also, spidey senses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many kudos??? I am so glad you people like this so much, since I have so much fun writing it. Also, if there are any typos in this one, I'll check them in the morning cause it's like past one and I might be dying a little bit lol. Feel free to leave pointers or chapter suggestions!

As the days went by, and you got several visits from skeletons during your work hours, you caught on to the look Sans was giving you now. Not the sharp, suspicious one, no, that disappeared after that second day. You knew this look too well, and it never bade well.

That look of probing curiosity.

'Why are you like that?'

You openly avoided time alone with Sans, trying to put it off, that inevitable questioning. As soon as he knew, he'd start avoiding you. And then he'd start making sure Papyrus started avoided you. And then it would be gone.

All this happiness. Gone.

You felt so close to pulling yourself out; the days weren't so slow, the nights not so long, you weren't so tired, the trips to the flowers weren't so bad.

You were also relieved they hadn't asked about you breaking away at noon every day. Maybe they hadn't noticed the pattern. Or maybe they didn't care.

That next weekend, Papyrus invited you over for the evening. He reassured you it would only be the most spectacular evening you'd ever had, what with watching amazing movies and eating his wonderful spaghettis and, of course, spending time with him. You were more than happy to agree; it'd been so long since you'd had a friend that so genuinely wanted to spend time with you.

And Luka. Papyrus loved Luka. Maybe that's the only reason he spent time with you. Part of you ached at the thought, part of you didn't care. 

You were happy to spend time with the skeleton brothers.

Yes, you were on pens and needles around Sans, but he was enjoyable company. He was always trying to make others happy, telling jokes, looking relaxed. He was the type to be so relaxed at a crowded party, to be right at home in a bustling bar.

The type that wouldn't get it.

But you liked him. He made you forget, until you caught his gaze at those quiet times. It made you remember too much all at once and made you shrink in on yourself.

It made you afraid of the confessions to come.

You were so glad that Papyrus was so fond of Luka; she made you feel so much more at home in their home. Oh yeah, he'd invited you over a few times. You only stayed for about an hour each time, until you got comfortable and learned their rules. 

And now you were supposed to just spend an entire evening there.

Yikes.

You hesitated outside the door for several long moments, Luka waiting patiently for you to be ready. God bless her, she seemed to know when you needed a moment. You glanced at the setting sun and hoped it would set slowly so you could enjoy the time over, despite your nervousness.

You knocked just once, then the door flung open and two long, lanky arms were flung around you.

"HUMAN!! I AM SO GLAD YOU DECIDED TO COME! I DONT KNOW IF I COULD HAVE SURVIVED ANOTHER MOVIE NIGHT WITH SANS AND HIS UNBEARABLE PUNS."

"but Pap, i don't have any bears with me."

Papyrus let out a sound of utter frustration, letting you go. Luka bounded inside, and you unsnapped the leash as you followed. She, of course, went directly to the kitchen. 

"Of course, Papyrus. I'm glad you invited me. I love to spend time with you guys." You smiled the best you could, though your anxiety made your hands shake a little and you felt you might throw up a little bit.

He seemed to buy it. "BUT OF COURSE. EVERYONE LOVES TO SPEND TIME WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS."

"Always."

"and what am i, a bag of bones?" 

Close enough to work, you supposed. "Well, yes, technically speaking." You shrugged playfully.

"ouch."

"Anytime."

He laughed, reclining into the couch easily. 

"Careful, you get any more comfortable you might just become part of the couch."

"dream achieved then."

You laughed this time, then watched as Luka came out of the kitchen and made herself comfortable right next to Sans, sighing loudly when he didn't notice, then sighing again while putting her big head right in his lap, looking at him pointedly.

"okay, okay, bud. just don't turn into the big bad wolf and blow me away." He scratched lightly behind her ears, chuckling.

"That was a stretch."

"you come up with something better." 

You laughed, but it was a bit forced. Ouch.

Papyrus had disappeared into the kitchen, and now exited, wearing a frilly apron.

"I like that apron on you, Papyrus. Suits you."

He flushed a little. "B-BUT OF COURSE!" He cleared his nonexistent throat. "THE SPAGHETTI WILL BE DONE SHORTLY! IN THE MEAN TIME, MAKE YOURSELF A HOME!"

You decide to settle in a large chair across the room from the couch, legs tucked under you in an attempt to not be in the way, just in case Papyrus has to go through here.

"cmon, kid, we've been over this, like, six times. we don't bite." The tone he used was teasing, but you wondered if he was trying to make a point.

"Sorry." You looked away, suddenly embarrassed. You were too careful when it came to things like this. You hadn't known if he'd be comfortable with you sitting next to him, so you decided to play it safe. You should have known he wouldn't care.

"what're you sorry for? it's just a joke, kiddo." He raised an eye-bone at you and you shrugged helplessly, suddenly getting up. Luka stood also, watching you.

He noticed. His eyes flickered to her, then to you, asking a silent question. 'What's up with that?' You pretended you didn't notice.

"Hey, Papyrus, you need any help in here?" You called, rounding the corner into the kitchen, away from Sans' half-veiled remarks and probing gaze. At least, that's what you assumed they were. That's what they felt like.

"NO, OF COURSE NOT!" Came the loud answer. "I TOLD YOU TO MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME, NOT TO HELP ME, DIDNT I?" The taller skeleton tilted his head at you, all innocence and good intentions wrapped up in a single moment.

"Well, I...." Quick, think of something! "Wanted to ask you something." You finished dumbly. You could have done better than that. You lightly touched Luka's ears.

"WHAT IS IT, HUMAN?"

"Um... What's the secret to such good spaghetti?" It would make him happy at least.

Okay, happy was an understatement. He could have exploded right then and you wouldn't have been surprised. "WELL, I ONLY LEARNED FROM THE BEST! MY FRIEND UNDYNE TAUGHT ME AS TRAINING TO BE IN THE ROYAL GUARD!"

'Undyne?' That's what the little monster kid had called you, right? And... Royal guard? "That must have been cool." Lame response, but what are you supposed to say to that? Oh, maybe... "Maybe you could teach me sometime?" You hopped up on the counter, as out of the way as you could be.

He beamed at you. "OF COURSE, HUMAN! PERHAPS BOTH UNDYNE AND I COULD TEACH YOU, THAT WAY YOU'D BE DOUBLY AS GOOD!"

You were pretty sure it didn't work that way, but okay. "That'd be cool, for sure." You smiled at him as he clapped all giddily, like a child. Papyrus was the kind of wholehearted good you only thought existed in fairy tales. It was so refreshing.

Luka poked your leg with her nose. She was wondering if you were okay enough for her to wander off. What kind of karma voodoo did you pull off to manage to land a dog like this, anyway? You smiled at her and patted her nose twice, then leaned down and gave her a smooch between the eyes. She wagged once, then was off into the living room.

"YOU AND YOUR CANINE REALLY ARE BEST FRIENDS, ARENT YOU?" 

You just nodded, sliding off the counter. "Yeah, she's pretty great, isn't she?"

"NEARLY AS GREAT AS ME!" Papyrus said it like it was the most sincere, noble achievement as anything you'd ever hear.

"For sure, Pap." The nickname slipped out before you could stop it. You waited for the 'Don't call me that' but he didn't seem to notice.

"YOU ARE PRETTY GREAT, TOO, HUMAN."

You flushed a little. "Thanks, Pap. I appreciate it, especially since it's coming from the best." You smiled and went back to the living room, settling back into the chair you'd picked out earlier.

You'd only known these guys a week, and here you were, making nicknames and getting too attached. Losing these guys was going to be a bad time.

"geez, kid, never pictured you to be the sappy type. don't tell me you're making moves on my baby bro?" Sans and Luka were looking very comfortable on the couch, with Luka taking up two places, her head in Sans' lap. The sight made you happy in an unusual way. Like that was the way it should be.

"As if. He's the cutest thing I've ever seen, in a platonic way, and how can you not gush over that little dork?" Sans just nodded as if it was something he already knew.

 

Dinner went by without a hitch, and when you hummed slightly as you finished, Papyrus acted like it was the greatest compliment he'd ever received. It made you happy to see you could make others so happy.

Also, Sans drank ketchup. You tried not to question it, especially since he was practically trying to get a rouse out of you with it. 

Luka had gone in a continuous circle around the table, stopping briefly at each person to give them a chance to realize she so very much deserved another noodle of spaghetti before going to the next. You had to tell Papyrus that giving her an entire plate was out of the question at least five times.

You told them you could only watch one movie, at which Papyrus pouted and you felt bad about it, but held strong. You didn't have work tomorrow, but you did want to spend the night in your own bed.

Nonetheless, that didn't happen.

At first you thought the movie had two parts, then three, and by the time you realized these were sequels to some 'Mettaton classic,' you'd resolved to just watch until Papyrus was satisfied. Sans dozed off during the first one, and Papyrus went out near the end of the fourth. It was nearly half past midnight by that time, and you decided it might just be safer to stay and leave early in the morning.

Nonetheless, you couldn't sleep. Alone in your chair, you watched the three of them sleep soundly on the couch: Papyrus curled in a little ball at the end, with Luka's head on his hip, and Sans slouched forward slightly at the other end, hugging himself. They looked... complete. You didn't need to be there for them to feel happy or safe.

They didn't need you there at all.

The thought sent you standing. Fresh air, that was all you needed.

This was why you hated the moments of quiet. That dark part of your mind woke up and made itself heard then.

You tiptoed to their back door, and very gently, very slowly pulled it open. Ah, a cool night. Perfect. You slid out and shut the door quietly behind you. 

Their yard had no fence, so it sloped directly into the woods, you noticed. It felt like something dark was waiting there, just out of sight. Oddly, it was comforting.

You plopped down onto the grass and tipped your head back, seeing a thin crescent of moon hanging gently in the air. Around it, a few speckles of stars. Not enough to be impressive, but enough to be a comforting sight. You took a deep breath, letting the coolness settle in your stomach before letting it out.

"geez, you gave me a scare, pal."

You jumped out of your skin. Well, not literally, but almost. You turned your upper body back to the house.

Sans was standing there, hood off but flung over a shoulder, eye sockets dark with sleep. He looked almost scary in the dark like that. It gave you a chill, but also relaxed you to know you weren't the only one up.

"Sorry."

"you okay?" He came up beside you, lowering himself into the grass. 

"Yeah. Just needed a little air. You okay?"

He seemed a little surprised you asked. "i was just going to take Paps to bed, but noticed you were gone."

"Sorry."

"don't worry about it." A pause. "you make him happy, y'know. just coming around and being so supportive. makes him feel pretty loved." Another pause. "he doesn't have as many friends as he lets on, so you warming up to him means a lot."

"Means a lot to who?" It slipped before you could catch. Damn you, sleep brain-mouth filter!

He shrugged. "both of us. he appreciates the company, i appreciate you making him happy."

"I wish I could make you happy, too."

He looks startled, but tries to regain his cool. "you do, kiddo."

"I'm sorry."

"what for this time?" He laughs dryly.

"I know you want to know. But i can't tell you. Not now."

To your surprise, he nods in understanding, then stands. "c'mon, let's get you inside. you look bone-tired."

You laugh a little and wobble to your feet. "So, wait, did your spidey sense just tell you to wake up?"

He laughs a little, cheeks looking almost a little blue. It may have been the light; everything looked blue. "no, actually, Luka woke me up. i think she went to check on you and couldn't open the back door."

You laughed. 

"she looks after you real well." 

You shrug. "You look after Pap real well."

He smiles as if that's the best compliment he's ever gotten, but it's still shadowed by tiredness. You realize you were just standing there awkwardly for a moment. You turn for the house, and see a big black nose pressed against the door's window. It makes you smile, and your eyes almost sting with tears. Sans leads the way inside, and carries Papyrus off to what you assume is his room. You settle on the couch, Luka soon settled beside you.

For the first time in a long, long time, you feel like you belong.

As you drift off, you feel something settle on your shoulders.

"take care of yourself, cause somebody really cares about you."


	5. Charlie bit my finger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie gets a home. Also, texting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have no idea how happy I am that you like this story <3 Seriously, thank you all for the support!!

You woke up on a couch you didn't immediately recognize and, graceful as a swan, tumbled off the couch in a panic. You lay there for a moment, staring at the fibers of the rug just beyond the end of your nose before something cold and wet poked you a few times.

"Morning, Luka."

She sneezed. Directly on you.

"Thanks."

"you're finally up, then, sleeping beauty?" 

You leapt up, then staggered and nearly fell again as your feet got tangled in something. Well, that was embarrassing. Glancing down, you saw Sans' blue hoodie strewn across the floor and bent to pick it up. When did that get on the floor? Had he put it on the couch and you kicked it off in the night? "Yeah, um, sorry for spending the night on such short notice. And for crashing on your couch." You finally met his gaze.

He was wearing a t-shirt that read 'Cool to the Bone' with a tiny, cartoonish bone beneath it. You nearly laughed aloud at it. He was holding two steaming mugs and held one out to you. You blinked in surprise and gingerly took it, passing him the hoodie in exchange, then holding the mug up to take a sniff. Coffee?

"no problem. wouldn't be the first time it's happened." He shrugged and plopped down on the couch, acting as if the person he just met a week ago hadn't just very obviously intruded and crashed at his place with absolutely no warning. "figured you might want something to help you wake up." He nodded at the mug.

"Thanks. I, uh, appreciate it." You settled on the couch beside him without really thinking about it and took a sip. It was sweet, with hints of cinnamon. And... butterscotch?

He seemed to be watching you carefully, gauging your reaction. "i didn't know how you liked it, so i decided to just wing it. if it ain't to your liking, more for me." 

"No, it's... good. I like it." You took another sip. It was comforting. It felt like home in a mug.

He nodded, seemingly pleased. Luka took this lapse as an opportunity to butt in. She sat herself between the gap between you and Sans' knees and sighed very loudly. You laughed and ruffled the fur just above her eyebrows. "Yeah, yeah, you haven't been pet in like, a million years, obviously." She let out a pleased sound.

"SANS! IS THE HUMAN AWAKE YET?" Papyrus hollered from the kitchen. Did he even have a 'normal volume' setting?

You cringed a little. "Well, if I wasn't before, I sure am now." You whispered. Sans chuckled. "Sure am, Pap." You called back.

He practically galloped into the living room. "HUMAN!! I AM SO GLAD YOU DECIDED FO HAVE A SUDDEN SLEEPOVER WITH US LAST NIGHT! SURELY, THIS MEANS WE ARE NOW BEST FRIENDS!" He swept you into another hug. You could get used to that. Secretly, you wanted to hug them often, but didn't know if that would be weird or not. You settled for accepting Papyrus' hugs instead.

"... Best friends?"

He pulled back a little, looking uncertain. "OF COURSE, IF YOU WANT TO BE!" He released you and wrung his oven mitt-clad hands anxiously. Precious cinnamon roll.

"Of course I'd like that. I just... wasn't sure if you did." You averted your gaze and touched Luka's ears lightly. She licked your hand. 

"I WILL GO PREPARE THE CELEBRATORY BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI!" He practically flew to the kitchen. And, wait...

"Breakfast spaghetti?" You whispered to Sans, smiling.

He shrugged. "i don't think he knows anything other than spaghetti exists."

"That would explain a lot." 

He laughed. 

It was a beautiful morning. 

 

The day passed far too quickly, and soon you were back at the pet shop, feeding Sirs Fluffsalot and Madam Sleepikins, making sure the kids didn't pull on the rabbits' ears, and trying to separate crabs Lancelot and Tougbutt. As you approached the fish, you saw your manager watching Charlie. You sidled up beside him, dropping a little pinch of food into the tank.

There was a pause.

"If he isn't bought by the end of the week, he's going to have to go." Your manager finally said matter of factly. 

"... What?"

He sighed. "We can't wait forever." His gaze caught yours. "If only someone with a pet tough enough to stand it could adopt him." For a second, you thought he winked but the next moment he had turned and walked off.

You considered, then stepped outside and called Papyrus. 

"HELLO?"

"Hi, Pap, this is _________."

"AH, HUMAN!"

"Can you... pass the phone to Sans? If he's there."

There was rustling. "SANS, THE HUMAN WANTS TO TALK TO YOU."

"okay."

"SO GET OVER HERE AND TAKE THE PHONE."

"okay."

"SANS!"

"alright, alright." Rustling again. "yo."

"Hey, Sans. Um, does your pet rock ever get lonely? 'Cause I have a deal for you." 

"really now?"

"Sure, stop by the pet shop at some point and I'll introduce you to Charlie."

 

He arrived like thirty seconds later. What even...?

Don't question it.

You silently noted he was wearing his hoodie again. 

You lead him over to the long wall of fish tanks, then down to the Isolation Tank. Okay, that wasn't it's technical name, that's just what you called it. Charlie approached the glass lazily, eyeing Sans suspiciously.

They watched each other for a long moment.

"a fish."

"Rude. His name is Charlie."

"okay. so, why do you want to pawn him off on me?"

You rubbed the back of your neck. "Well, he's kind of a killing machine, so everyone that's bought him so far has brought him back since he killed their other precious fish. It's been two weeks since the last time someone gave him a try, and, well, if he's now adopted soon... He's gonna get the axe, basically. I can't adopt him, because I'm hardly home during the day and he'd get bored and destroy things and Luka might knock his tank over or something." You paused. "I can buy anything he needs. Tank, gravel, plants and hideouts, food, etc.. I just feel like he deserves better than spending his whole life trapped in this tank to just die. Does that make sense? I'm sorry to ask on such short notice..."

A long pause. He seemed to be scrutinizing Charlie very carefully. Charlie returned the look. "well, i don't know a thing about fish care, but i'll give it a shot." He flashed you a smile. 

"Oh my god, thank you." You nearly flung your arms around him but stopped. Play it cool. "Uh, ha ha, I could just about hug you right now." That wasn't cool, damn it!

His grin just widened. "no problem. show me what he needs."

You lead him around, picking out an appropriate tank, showing him different bags of gravel (of which he picked blue, unsurprisingly), showed him the variety of bubblers (of which he picked the first one he got his hands on, lazily), different decorations (of which he chose red and orange stars, which you assumed were to please Papyrus), chose out the best food, water purifier, dropped Charlie into a bag (which he was not at all happy about), and headed for the checkout. 

You swiped your discount card, and pulled out your wallet. You were counting out the bills (which it seems you had just enough for) when Sans cleared his nonexistent throat. You glanced up and was surprised to see him putting down the appropriate amount, change and all. 

"What? No, no, I'm the one forcing him onto you..." Suddenly, you realized you'd practically guilt tripped him into taking him and felt awful. "Just... at least let me pay for it."

He just shook his head. "nah. Pap will excited to have a real pet, anyway." Then he turned and shambled off, leaving you standing there, watching as he raised the water filled bag up and observed Charlie attacking the bag viciously. You heard him chuckle before the door closed behind him.

You still felt awful, but at least you'd been able to land Charlie a home with someone you trusted.

 

* hey

You got the text just as you arrived home that night. You were briefly confused and about to ask who was texting you, when another came in.

* do fish like to be pet

* cause I tried to pet Charlie and then I had to fish out the tip of my finger from the bottom of the tank

You laughed out loud. Yeah, that was Sans.

\- What is with you and losing your fingers?

* rude

\- Okay but you probably shouldn't do that until he's settled down. And even then sparingly. He's covered in a protective slime to ward off disease and being touched too often wears it off and makes him vulnerable.

* oh

* well that'll be a hell of a time to explain to Paps without him freaking out

You laughed, lying on the couch. Luka, full fed and satisfied, settled beside you and put her head on your stomach.

\- Just say something like fish don't like their personal space invaded very often. 

* do you even know Pap

* I don't think he even knows what personal space is

\- Right, well. It tickles?

* that should work

* he hates to be tickled

\- Glad I could help. Also, duly noted. :P

You paused, then typed again.

\- Okay, but seriously, thanks for taking care of him for me. I'm relieved I could land him a home with someone I know and trust. Means I can visit him every so often.

* okay so now whenever you come over it'll only be for the fish got it

\- No, silly. I really like to spend time with you guys. I don't exactly have many friends to hang out with. (Surprising, I know.)

* i'm glad

* all of our friends have been pretty busy recently so Paps has been pretty lonely

\- Really?

* yeah. Alphys and Undyne have been trying to move an entire lab into a town home.

Not what you were expecting, but okay.

\- Well, good luck to them on that.

* i'll be sure to let them know my weird human friend sends luck

\- You think we're friends?

* duh

\- I always kind of thought I was just your brother's weird friend, I guess. Acquaintance at best.

* oh

* is that how this normally works with humans or

\- Not exactly

You typed something out then paused. No, you shouldn't. You deleted it then retyped.

\- I just didn't want to assume things.

* well i'm glad the fish has managed to bring us closer

\- Me too 

You were dozing off at that point. You'd been anxious the whole day, worried you'd made some grave mistake and forced your new friend into something he only did out of pity. At the very least, it sounded like Papyrus was excited. With a relieved sigh, you fell asleep on the couch, which you would surely regret the next morning.


	6. The Beginning of the End?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Luka go to the park. Also, Sans tags along.

A few weeks (perhaps two months? You couldn't really tell) had passed. Sans was kind enough not to push you into 'that talk' before you wanted to, which you were immensely grateful for. You wanted this to last. You were the happiest you'd been in a long, long time. You relaxed around the skelebros much more easily now, shedding you shield and letting that other self out- the other self they seemed to like.

Summer was passing it's peek and slowly the heat began to withdraw. This, of course, meant you made trips to the park more and more often. Papyrus joined a few times, racing Luka back and forth and throwing conjured bones for her. When he discovered her talent for catching things out of the air, it became his favorite thing to do with her. 

He mentioned his other friends on multiple occasions; former captain of the royal guard Undyne (you were now very flattered by the little monster kid's comment), former royal scientist Alphys, formerly married rulers of monsters Asgore and Toriel, remaining star Mettaton, and savior of monsters Frisk. You began to wonder why he was even friends with you.

You were just a nobody compared to these people. Some strange human that lived with her dog in the house down the street.

You never put voice to these doubts. You didn't want to ruin all this. Not yet.

"You wanna go to the park?"

Luka tap danced briefly, wiggling.

"Do ya?"

She whined lightly, wiggling more.

"I can't hear you!"

She barked loudly, frisking back and forth. You laughed, attaching her leash to her collar and heading out. Despite the warmth in the air, you were wearing your baggy jeans and light hoodie. They made you feel more covered than shorts and a tank top. Safer, in a way. Away from judging eyes.

The stroll was quiet. Across the street to the sidewalk, right, pass the skelebros home, and then onto the busy main road, which the park opened onto about half a mile away. Once, when some monster bullying thugs had made a ruckus at the park and you'd thrown a couple rocks at them, you taken the long way home to throw them off: there was another entrance to your street a little ways down and to the left. It had worked, but it had left you breathless and tired. Luka, however, thought it was fun.

Well, it was quiet till you were about halfway there. You nearly had a heart attack when Sans just sort of appeared next to you and fell into step with your slow rhythm.

"no need to jump out of skin, kid." He winked at you, grinning quite smugly. How even without skin could he?

"Easy for the guy with no skin to say." You raised your nose to him and sniffed despite your smile. He narrowed his eyesockets at you. How even??

"i'm offended." 

"I'm sure you'll live. What are you even doing here? I thought you worked, like, 90% of the time." You laughed. He just shrugged.

"i'm on break."

"Oh, of course, pardon me." You put a hand to your chest. He smirked.

"you and your pal here off to go steal someone else's finger?"

"You will never let me live that down, will you?"

"not a chance." He winked again.

"Yeah, well, you let a creature of lesser brain power steal your finger."

He flushed blue. That was a first. "she caught me by surprise, that's all."

You laughed, turning into the park. "Oh, please, no need to hide it from me. You were bested by a dog." It was your turn to smirk. "Oh, don't worry, I won't tell." 

He grumbled something about how your dog had to be smarter then the usual mutt before you bent to unhook Luka from her leash. She, of course, headed straight for the ducks. You were like 99% sure she thought they were just oddly shaped dogs. A few steps further, and you settled on your favorite hanging bench. 

It had a nice view of the pond, with the dock a little to the right and the dam a little to the left. It felt like home. 

You were a little surprised when Sans sat down beside you. You kind of figured he was just going to accompany you on the walk here and then head back to work, but that would imply he would ever actually go back to work. Sans, you had discovered, was very lazy. Shocking, I know.

A companionable silence settled between you two for several minutes.

"Sans."

He hummed a little, looking ready to doze off.

"What was it like, underground?" 

He stiffened. 

Shit. Fuck. Oh no. 

You'd just been curious about it for a while. You'd heard about it in advertisements ("TAKE A VISIT TO THE UNDERGROUND AND UNLEASH YOUR INNER MONSTER!") but that was few and far between. You'd hoped asking about it could maybe be a chance to bring you and the jokester closer.

If you were honest, you kind of liked the idea getting closer to Sans. I mean, it wasn't a crush yet, but it was close.

"Um, sorry, that was... sudden. You don't... You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." You quickly sputtered out, trying to put a bandaid on the situation.

He relaxed, though his smile was still tense. You didn't like when it was like that. "nah, it's fine. wasn't much, compared to this." He gestured to view, where Luka was busy find out if she could find anything edible in mud. "Paps and i came from Snowdin." You just looked at him sideways. "no, seriously. that was the name of the town we came from. there was also Waterfall and Hotland."

You laughed. "Oh, wow. I'm guessing whoever was in charge of that got fired."

"the king kind of sucks at names."

"Oh my god, that was the king?!" You laughed harder. "Holy cow."

"goat, actually."

For some reason, you can't even contain yourself at that. You drag your hand across your mouth, trying to calm down.

"Wow, what a history lesson." You finally manage to sputter out. Sans just chuckles. He doesn't say anymore about the underground.

Luka comes up and promptly drops a drool covered stick in your lap. You scrunch up your nose. "Oh, gee, you shouldn't have." Sans laughs. You stand, cranking your arm back and throwing the stick with all your might.

Luka races after it, but about halfway to the ground it stops. She leaps to grab it and it moves just out of reach. She falls and it goes back down. She jumps and it goes back up. She turns to look at you and Sans in frustration.

You look at Sans. He's got a hand raised, pointing a single finger at the faintly glowing stick. One of his eyes is lit and flickering, and the other is dark. The glowing disk of light slowly turns to look at you in a wink, smile growing.

He waves his hand to the left and the stick follows. Luka races after it. He waves to the right. Luka makes sharp turn and races back.

You shove him, laughing. "Hey, I didn't let you join us just so you could mess with her."

"buzzkill." The light fades from his socket and the two pricks of light return in its place. The stick falls into Luka's awaiting jaws and she races back, panting. "see, she liked it."

"Oh, yeah, uh huh, I'm sure." You rolled your eyes, leaning down to attach her leash again. "Jerk."

"you wound me." He puts a hand to his forehead. "and here i was about to invite you to our dinner party to meet Undyne and Alphys."

You did a double take. "Wait, you serious?"

"sure thing. we wouldn't mind making you part of the gang." His eyes moved away uncertainly. "i mean, if you want to."

"Um." Should you? Maybe it'd go horribly. Maybe they would hate you and then Sans and Papyrus would realize how mediocre you were and stop hanging out with you. Maybe they'd realize you suck. Maybe they'd hate you. 

But maybe it'd be fun.

"Okay. Sure."

He grinned more easily then. "next Saturday at six. our place." He winks at you again, then stands, stretches, and shambles off. 

You turn to Luka. "Well. This could be the thing that breaks it, Luka. Hope you enjoyed it." You ruffle the fur of her ears, stomach turning over. "And i didn't even ask if you could tag along. Looks like you'll have the house to yourself next Saturday." You sigh, and, regretting every life choice you've ever made, begin the walk home.

Luka seems to sense your mood and sticks close the whole way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coughs awkwardly because I'm posting these too fast. I should have gone Christmas shopping today and instead I wrote this. Oops.


	7. "I never wanted this!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "why are you like that?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha, long angsty chapter ahead,,,, 
> 
> Thanks for the support, all of you!! I'm really glad your liking this!!

The week went by far too quickly. It seemed this happened whenever you were impending some kind of doom. This time, though, it was even worse. Papyrus was overjoyed he could introduce his 'totally cool human friend' to his 'totally cool monster friends.' The more he gushed, the more that feeling turned your veins to ice.

That feeling of fear of disappointing him, not meeting his standards, not meeting his friends expectations,

The fear of failure. 

It felt like it was consuming you whole by the time Saturday morning came.

You were very reluctant to get out of bed. Luka had been pawing over you all week, trying to figure out what was wrong, not understanding but trying her best any way. She was there, head next to yours, watching you with mournful eyes.

"I'm okay, girl. I just... need a second." 

She sniffed at you for a second before sitting and waiting beside you. With a sigh, you reached for your phone. Normally, you got little "Good morning!! :D" texts from Papyrus or pictures of Charlie and Sans' pet rock "getting along swimmingly," but this morning it was a slew of texts from Papyrus and a single one from Sans.

• Human!!!

• Today!! Is the day!!!

• That you meet Undyne and Alphys for the first time!!!

• Guess who's making his very special celebratory spaghetti???

A picture of Papyrus wearing a 'COOL DUDE' t-shirt and giving a thumbs up.

• This skeleton!!!

Fear, rather than excitement, made your gut turn over.

* hey. guess you don't need me to remind you that the party is tonight. Pap has been trying to take a perfect picture with his phone for the past five minutes so I'm assuming he's already told you.

\- Yeah. He sure is excited.

* its been a while since he's been able to hang out with Undyne 

* plus he gets to introduce you

\- I suppose

You put the phone down, rolling out of bed. Luka snapped to attention, nosing you comfortingly. You patted her. "This wouldn't be half so bad if I could bring you..." You sighed. "Don't want to intrude on their friends, though. Sorry girl."

You picked out your comfiest pair of jeans (since you figured sweats were not an option) and pulled a large hoodie over a t-shirt, trying to wear you something you could hide in while not looking like a hobo.

You ate hardly any breakfast and instead opted for coffee while you filled Luka's dish. She ate about half of it before following you into the backyard.

You stood there, toes getting cold, for several long minutes. Your eyes wandered to the corner of the fence, where the familiar structure stood. The tarp was still thrown over it, though you could still see the shadow of where they had worn the grass away so long ago. The shadow was fading now. The thought sent a pang through you.

The shadow of what used to be was slowly disappearing, out of reach.

You cringed at the thought process. You were relapsing, it seemed. On today of all days. This didn't bode well.

You walked across the yard, opening the back gate and heading off into the woods, still barefoot. Luka stopped when you told her to stay. She didn't look very happy about it, but she stayed behind.

Had the walk gotten longer? Or was it the memories crowding your perception of time? 

The three bunches of forget-me-nots were slowly loosing their blooms. You opened the gardening box nearby and pulled out your clippers and trimmed them gently. The soil was still holding water. It had rained two days ago. Of course they were fine.

With the trimming done, you stayed there, crouching, for a long time. The flowers brushed each other gently, whispering things your ears couldn't quite reach. After a moment, you stood.

Looking up, your heart jumped into your throat. 

Sans was standing several yards away. Watching you.

You'd forgotten about how the paths of these woods looped in on each other, creating a tangled mass that was easy to get lost in. Easy to trespass on other people's property. Easy to find your place.

Easy to find the forget-me-nots.

He took a step towards you and that triggered your flight-or-fight response. And of course, you turned and darted the way you came, locking the gate when you got to your yard. 

You whipped your phone out, typing quickly.

\- Sorry for running off. I don't like to talk about those.

A few minutes passed. You were curled up on the couch, hiding from the world, by the time he responded.

* didn't know you liked gardening

* no need to be embarrassed about it

That was convenient. Too convenient. Was he making up your excuses for you?

* the king would be impressed

* after Tori left him, he took up the same hobby

Oh, that made more sense. 

\- Sorry. Not many people think about it as a hobby so I was afraid you'd think it was dumb.

Lame excuses 101.

* whatever makes you happy

You let out a long breath. Disaster temporarily avoided.

 

The real disaster rolled around about six that night. Or the beginning of it, at least.

You arrived a bit early "on accident." You mainly did it because you didn't want to walk in at six and find the more amazing friends there already and you end up being the fifth wheel before the party even started. Also, you wanted to glean information.

"So, um... What's Undyne like?"

"you're going to meet her in like, fifteen minutes. you'll find out then."

"That's not helping!"

"what? nervous?" That bastard was teasing you at a time like this.

"I just want to know what to expect."

He sighed. "Undyne is loud and Alphys is quiet." He paused. "actually, you and Alphys have a lot in common."

Well, if she really was like you, she'd be better on standing than you, since she would be meeting only one awkward stranger and you'd meeting two strangers and be breaking a clique all at once.

Lord save you.

"Can I get a glass of water?"

"sure thing. hey Pap, human wants some water." 

You frowned at him. "Lazybones."

"lead with your strengths."

You wandered back into the living room, where a love seat had been pushed into the mix of furniture, probably to accommodate so much company. You wandered over to Charlie's square tank and crouched there.

"Hey, bud. I see you and your pal are getting along." He wandered over to the glass and swam up and down in front of you. "Yeah, I've missed you too." You pressed a finger to the glass and watched him nibble at it. It helped, if only a little bit.

You were nursing your glass of water, curled as far into the corner of couch as you could be, when the front door was- quite literally- kicked open.

"NGAHHHHHHH! WHERES MY FAVORITE PUNK AT?!"

You flinched, drawing in on yourself. If this was Undyne, 'loud' was an understatement. The blue... fish? monster- clad in skinny jeans and an oversized Halloween skeleton sweater- stomped her way inside, (luckily) not noticing you on the couch.

A short, pudgy yellow lizard(?) monster padded in after her, wearing a similar sweater and round spectacles and looking somewhat nervous. "U-Undyne, we could have just knocked!" Ah, yes. She must Alphys. 

The former royal scientist and the former royal guard. You couldn't even compare.

"Sorry, babe, I'm just so pumped for this!" Undyne stomped her feet as if to prove her point.

'Babe?' These two were a thing? Color you surprised. 

"UNDYNE! YOUVE ARRIVED AT OUR AMAZING HOME!!" Papyrus flew around the corner and was immediately tackled into a noogie. "PLEASE, DO NOT NOOGIE THE SKELETON!" He wiggled to get free, rumpling his red 'Master Chef' shirt and matching scarf.

"How's it going, Pap?!" Undyne was RIDICULOUSLY loud. Her volume was even worse then Papyrus', which was quite the feat. You tugged your hood closer around yourself.

"IVE BEEN GREAT!! I EVEN MADE AN AMAZING HUMAN FRIEND!!" Please don't. "THEYRE SITTING ON THE COUCH RIGHT NOW, AS A MATTER OF FACT!" God damn it.

Two pairs of unfamiliar eyes settled on you. Could you just, like, be absorbed by the couch? Was that 100% out of the picture?

"So, you're the punk these two dorks have been rambling about for the past two weeks?!" They... talked about you? Oh no, what did they say?! "You better treat these guys right! Otherwise, all my guard training will not go to waste!" She narrowed her uncovered eye at you, sneering through her long fangs.

"U-Undyne!"

"I'm just kidding with ya! C'mere!" She strode over to you, reaching out to most likely noogie you, but you flinched before you could stop it. She paused. "Geez, kid, take a joke!" She laughed loudly, ruffling your hair a little too hard. She was entirely solid muscle under that sweater, you realized. 

What had you gotten yourself into?

"I'm Undyne! And this is my totally cute girlfriend, Alphys!" She scooped up Alphys, planting a kiss on her cheek. Alphys, in response, turned a bright shade of red.

"H-hi." She said meekly. 

You just nodded at them, still cowed.

"Well? What's your name, punk?!" 

"_-______." 'Please don't hurt me.'

"Human names are weird." Undyne chortled again. Gee, thanks. She then proceeded to charge into the kitchen, Alphys lagging behind, chastising her tall blue girlfriend for being rude.

Sans appeared from somewhere just then. His gaze flickered to the kitchen doorway, where Alphys could be seen lingering and from which Undyne's orders to crank up the heat filtered out. Then he looked to you, breathing somewhat rugged, probably pale as a sheet, nervously hoping time would go faster so you could go home.

"what's the matter with you? you look like you've seen a ghost and i don't remember inviting Napstablook." A pause. "oh, you haven't met him yet. he's an actual ghost. joke lost." You couldn't think of a response so you chose to say nothing. A long, long pause. "y'know," he eventually drawled casually, "it wouldn't kill ya to be friendly." 

Then he walked off.

"Easy for you to say," you nearly spat at his back.

 

Dinner was awful.

Well, the whole event, not just the food. Everything was overcooked. Even the sauce. You were pretty sure the rolls were kind of charred. They hadn't ever been like that before, so you could only assume it was Undyne's doing.

Speaking of, she and Papyrus and Sans, even Alphys, all continuously made jokes you didn't get. You kind of hated it when people made inside jokes without cuing you in on what it was about. It felt like they were all saying, "Look at us! We're so much closer to your friends than you are!" 

Petty, yes, but you couldn't quite crush the fire churning in your stomach.

Trying to find a way into the conversation was impossible. Undyne and Papyrus continually talked about cooking and royal guard things (neither of which you were very practiced in), while Alphys and Undyne continually talked (enthusiastically) about anime (which you didn't really care for), and Sans continually made jokes that made everyone groan (and you kind of stunk at telling jokes). You had nothing going for you here.

The seating arrangements were even worse. You, Alphys and Undyne were all seated on the same side of the table, with you and Undyne at opposite ends. Sans sat across from you, with Papyrus the farthest from you. Why couldn't you have just sat next to him? Or Sans, even? Sure, it would have been awkward, what with the whole 'I ran away from you earlier with a really lame excuse afterwards' thing, but it would have been better than this. Sans had more or less made sure you were trapped with them, which kind of pissed you off. 

Seriously, man? Did he not know how you worked in situations like this?

You idly pushed your spaghetti around your plate the entire time the others ate. At one point, Papyrus noticed.

"HUMAN, ARE YOU NOT HUNGRY?" He looked perplexed. You shrank back a little, cringing a bit at the number of eyes on you.

"Um, yeah. Had a kind of big lunch. Sorry." You whispered out. That seemed to placate him, since he jumped back into telling some story to Undyne like nothing had happened. 

It took longer for Sans' eyes to drag away from you. The look was empty of anything you could read, but it made your skin crawl. Eventually, he stopped staring when someone asked him to confirm part of the story. Even after, he kept glancing in your direction.

You knew what he was expecting. He wanted you to act around these two strangers the way you acted around him and Papyrus. He wanted you to open up, like a normal human being.

'Sorry, Sans, but it doesn't work that way.'

"So, human punk," came Undyne's voice from the other side of Alphys (who hadn't said a word to you since your first meeting, by the way). "You work at that huge pet store down the street?"

".... Y-yeah." Your voice was quiet, even to you, but the table had fallen silent anyway. 'Stop staring at me!!' The ugly thought reared it's head, loud and furious. How you hated all those eyes on you.

'Control yourself.'

"OH, YES, YOU SHOULD SEE-" 

"she hooked us up with a pretty great pal for my pet rock." Oh, thank you for the distraction, Sans.

"Really?! Let us see!" Undyne jolted up, and Alphys hesitantly rose next to her. 

Papyrus excitedly led them into the living room, where you could hear him say Charlie was very tough fighting fish, just like Undyne. Undyne seemed flattered. You hoped they weren't touching him. Having new people over was stressful, even for fish.

You went around the table, gathering plates. Sans, who hadn't gotten up, was watching you. Oh, so he only wanted to get you alone. You took back your thanks. 

You could feel his gaze burning a hole in your skull, even as you went into the kitchen. You rinsed off the plates, organized the silverware, and basically tried to stall as long as you could.

When you turned, you jumped. Sans was going to get hit the next time he did that. He was standing just a few inches behind you, watching you. It made you prickle, even if you tried hard not to let it get to you.

Just as he went to say something, you blurted out, "I should be getting home."

He narrowed his eyes at you slightly. "i'll walk you out." Please don't.

You hugged the wall as you went through the living room, where Papyrus was now saying something about all the gadgets Charlie's tank had. Undyne was talking about getting him a tiny suit of armor and a spear. Alphys (luckily) pointed out that wouldn't be the best thing for his health.

At the door, you just expected Sans to say 'goodbye, don't ever come back' and slam the door in your face, but he followed you onto the porch and carefully closed the door behind him, then onto the driveway, where a new car stood beside Papyrus' red convertible.

Shitshitshitshitshit. You really, really didn't want to talk about this.

"Well, uh." Your voice came in a very forced croak. You tried again. "I'll be seeing you." You quickly turned to speed walk home when a bony hand caught your wrist.

"not so fast, pal."

You tensed.

"what was all that?" His voice tried to come out nonchalant and failed horribly. It sent a cold feeling down your back.

"All what?"

"i thought it was obvious enough."

"..."

"i thought I already told you we don't bite." He was practically growling and he hadn't let you go.

"And I thought I already told you it's not personal. I don't hate monsters, Sans."

"they don't know that."

"Then tell them!" You were growing exasperated. Was he really that slow to get what your real deal was?

"tell them yourself."

You sighed through gritted teeth. "I don't know what you expected of me."

"to make a good impression on my friends."

"Well, obviously, that didn't happen!" You lurched your wrist free, spinning to face him. He seemed surprised at your outburst, then his eyes went empty and dark.

"i don't get what the sudden problem is."

"I don't get why you won't just let me go home!"

"why are you like that?"

He actually said it. He actually asked it. You couldn't believe he had the gall to actually ask that, that question you hated more then anything.

"Like what, Sans?!" A kicked puppy? An antisocial recluse? 

A freak?

"i don't know why you're getting so angry over this." Same to you, buddy.

"Because you actually expected me to just get along perfectly with two people I'd never even met before! Do you even know me?"

"i just wanted you to at least try and make a good impression and not convince my friends Paps and i made friends with some monster hating weirdo." Those empty, glaring sockets would have been terrifying if your anger hadn't curbed your fear.

"You want to know what the problem is here?" You practically spat. "It's that people like you don't get people like me!"

"what's that supposed to mean?" 

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

"how can you know if you won't tell me?"

"Because I've done this song and dance before! No one likes to deal with what they don't understand! They come, they find out, they leave! For once, I'd thought things would go fine if I never told! I thought it would never be a big deal! And, as always, I thought wrong." You didn't know when you started crying, but you couldn't stop even if you tried. Sans either didn't notice or didn't care. "Just stop probing about it, will you?"

"if you'd just given me a chance to understand why you're so temperamental, maybe this wouldn't have happened." 

You didn't know if this was built up frustration on both your behalf's, but he was still angry, just as you were. His nearly calm tone seemed to fuel your flames.

"I never wanted this! I never wanted to come over. I never wanted to meet your friends. Why?" You cut him off before he could explode. "Because I knew this would happen!"

"then why did you even come in the first place?" The words cut through you like a hot knife through butter. So he did hate you, then. You'd fooled yourself into thinking he actually liked you.

"Because I thought..." You shook your head, violently whipping away tears. "You know what? No. Don't talk to me. Just leave me be. I don't want to talk to you again." You turned, and just as he reached to snag you again, the front door opened.

"HUMAN?" Why did it have be Papyrus? Even in your angry haze, you didn't want him to see you like this. "I THOUGHT I HEARD... SHOUTING."

Sans' head jerked in his direction, eye lights flickering to life, giving a forced smile. "it's nothing, Pap. kid and i were just about to come ba-"

"Actually, Papyrus, I was just going home." You forced a smile, calming your wobbling voice. "I need to get back and feed Luka." You ignored the burning gaze Sans was giving you. With a wave, you walked down their drive way, onto the sidewalk. 

"G-GOODBYE, HUMAN?" You heard Papyrus' voice carry over the air. Then, not directed at you, "SANS?"

"it's nothing, Pap. let's get back inside."

You hurried home before you could hear anything else. How much of a fool you must have seemed, getting so mad over something so small, hurrying home as you choked on your sobs, hood doing little to hide your flushed, glowering face.

You threw the door open, flicked on a light and proceeded to beat a pillow into the couch for several minutes. You then collapsed. Fuck everything. Fuck your uncontrollable mood swings. Fuck Sans. 

Luka whined, licking away your tears and snuggling into every part of you she could reach. You hadn't been this bad in a while, not since Molly. Luka still didn't know exactly what to do, so eventually she settled for curling up next to you on the floor.

You lied there for two hours, letting the weight of your actions soak in. You'd just lost the two best things to ever happen to you. Well, besides Luka, of course. God, you were such an idiot.

Around the two and half hour mark, your phone started buzzing. You ignored it until it stopped, half an hour later. Then you dragged it up to your face and turned it on. Everything was from Papyrus.

• Human??

• Human, what happened?

• Why won't Sans tell me what you talked about?

• Human??

• Are you okay???

Two missed calls: Papyrus.

• Human?? Have you misplaced your phone?

• Please tell me when you find it! :(

At least Papyrus cared about you. Well, until Sans told him you were a temperamental freak and told him to avoid you at all costs. Fresh tears plopped onto the carpet. You'd miss Papyrus. He was just a sweet little kid inside a big skeleton body.

\- m fine pap

\- don't worry about it

With that, you shoved the phone away, curling up on the floor. What would Molly think of you now? Dusty, Tumble? Your parents? Your friend? You sobbed into your carpet helplessly. All of this happiness, gone, because you were just some broken freak who couldn't hold up a conversation.

You felt your sins crawling on your back.


	8. Going in Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans thinks over the previous events. Also, Charlie is judging him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some more angst. //drops this on your plate//
> 
> What do you mean you don't want it??
> 
> //coughs don't worry this is a lot shorter but it stills stinks//

Sans had monumentally fucked up.

A few hours had passed since you'd left (Undyne and Alphys stayed for a single movie then headed home themselves) and Papyrus had eventually stopped trying to get an answer out of him. Instead, he could hear him tapping away at his phone in another room. No doubt, the oblivious skeleton was trying to get an answer from you instead.

Sans sighed, dragging his hand across his face. He hadn't meant to get so mad. He hadn't meant to make you cry. 

He was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but there were just too many gaps for him to get a logical answer to the sequence of events.

'Why are you like that' had some importance, obviously. But what? Was it something you heard often? 

The timidity- different from Alphys'- was another thing he couldn't quite figure out. At least Alphys could manage a conversation with a stranger, albeit a bit awkwardly. Obviously, inviting Undyne over had been a bit much, as well. 

But weren't you comfortable with him and Paps? Had he been reading it wrong? Was all of it an act? All the jokes, movie nights, times you'd smiled at them and made them smile in turn? 

Of course, in the many runs he had lived through, he'd found there was no end to how well the kid could pull off a happy exterior and then...

Don't think about it, Sans. The kid promised no more resets. No more Chara.

Surely, you weren't like that.

He'd been a bit surprised when Undyne and Alphys brushed off your behavior. Alphys said she could understand being overwhelmed, what with the four of them having known each other longer, especially with Undyne's presence ("Ain't my fault the little punk can't handle me yet!" followed by a flex).

He wasn't quite sure why your quiet had gotten under his skin so badly. Not literally, but you get what I mean.

He'd just... wanted them to see in you what he saw: a supportive, funny, amazing human being. He wanted you to click with them, on some level, so it wouldn't be intrusive for you to join their little clique more often. He'd wanted to show off how great you were.

And you'd done the opposite. A small part of him wondered if you'd done it on purpose. He knew the thought was irrational, but it didn't stop it from rising up again and again. He knew he shouldn't assume the worst. He knew it was childish. 

And yet he'd entertained the thought enough for it to get the best of him.

And he'd made you cry.

He'd foolishly thought that the shyness thing- like your first meeting, the first few times you'd hung out with him and Paps, etc.- was a one time thing. Like you were just nervous to meet and hang out with monsters, but now that you were comfortable with them, you'd be the bubbly person he liked so much.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He could just about punch himself right now. He'd let a bad train of thought wash away his rational side and it'd led to.... this.

His eyes flickered to Charlie, who was watching him from inside the tank you'd carefully picked out. After a moment, the fish tuned his scaly back on him and swam to the far side of the tank. Even the fish was pissed with him.

He reached into his pocket and gripped his phone a little harder then necessary. After several moments of hesitation, he pulled it out. He was expecting you to have sent something along the lines of "Stay out of my life" but was greeted with an empty inbox.

He'd fucked up.

He tapped out a message, paused, and erased it. Tapped out another, stopped, and erased it. Then again. And again. 

He had no idea how to go about this. He'd never met you in a previous timeline. He was going in blind and it bothered him.

Eventually, he threw the phone across the couch in frustration. He'd have to try again in the morning.

"Brother?"

His eyes snapped up to Papyrus' tall form standing idly in the hall to the bedrooms, clad in his pajamas. He tried a smile.

"yeah, Pap? i'll be there to read you a story in just a sec. I'm just bone tired." He forced out a chuckle.

Papyrus didn't mention the pun. "Sans... What happened?" 

Sans dropped the smile and looked away. He sounded so... confused. And hurt. 

"i messed up, Pap. that's all you need to know. c'mon, let's get you to bed."


	9. Alone Together, with the Forget-Me-Nots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "you deserve so much more then what the world has given you"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: death mention. Depression heavily implied. Self harm mention. Anxiety mention.
> 
> Angst. So much angst. You guys will tell me if Sans is out of character right? Right???
> 
> I feel like he's out of character someone slay me ,,

Sunday morning came with aches and a feeling of emptiness. Luka was curled up next to you, head resting on your ribs, blinking sleepily. You patted her absently and stood. Your clothes were covered in fur and dust and seemed to cling to you and strangle you, leaving you feeling gross and sticky.

After a long, warm shower, you felt a little better. A little. Less gross, that's for sure.

You tried to eat and couldn't.

Tried to read and couldn't.

Tried to conjure up a complete thought and couldn't.

You settled for drawing the curtains, shutting the blinds, locking the doors, and hiding in your room. You felt like someone was watching you. The shadows moved and flickered oddly. You turned away from the room and settled as comfortably as you could.

Luka sat on standby.

Your phone buzzed around 10:00. 

You sluggishly picked it up and looked at the screen. 

hey

It was from Sans. Your gut twisted. All the guilt came rushing back, but you elected to ignore your problems for now. You put the phone down on your pillow, within sights reach.

kid?

You couldn't help the grimace that twisted your expressions. You pushed the tears down.

talk to me

are you okay

No, not really, but that's just kind of the norm for you. A bit worse than usual, though.

are you getting these

c'mon 

say something

please

You winced. Was he really concerned or had Papyrus heckled him into trying to get you to answer? 

You couldn't just let him think you were someone who was selective about when you were open. You couldn't leave him thinking you were just some dick that decided to take advantage of him and his brothers' kindness. You couldn't keep it a secret forever.

You had to tell him. Now or never.

But not today.

You unlocked the phone, opened your messages, and gingerly tapped out a message.

tomorrow

With that, you shut the phone off. Hopefully he got what you were trying to say. 

You laid there for a while, then opened your phone again and dialed in a familiar number.

"Hello, Richard speaking."

"H-hey, boss." You voice came out croaky. At least you sound sick. Maybe he'd believe the little white lie.

"________?"

"Yeah, it's me. Um, I can't... come in tomorrow."

A long pause. "Is your dog...?"

"No, no, she's fine." You felt a familiar gratefulness. He remembered how you'd been when Molly... "I'm just... feeling under the weather." It wasn't a lie. You felt like shit.

Another pause. "Does this have anything to do with those two boys who've been coming to see you recently?"

God damn it, nothing slipped past him. "... Yeah."

"If they've hurt you, they're answering to me personally." Click.

You smiled a little. Daw, your manager actually cared about you. A tingle of fear rose above the affection. Not fear for you, oh no, you were hoping Papyrus had the sense to stay home tomorrow or at least stay away from the pet shop. The manager was not known for his mercy. He'd literally dragged someone outside once, 'restraining' them until the cops got there.

People went running whenever he rolled up his sleeves.

Lord help Papyrus if he so much as walked past the pet shop before you could placate the manager.

It was nice to know that you had someone looking after you. 

You briefly pondered over why everyone called Richard both 'boss' and 'manager.' What was he even? You told yourself to stop thinking about it when you got a headache. But with him warned of your impending absence, you proceeded to waste the day away wondering how on earth you were going to explain everything to Sans.

You couldn't work up the energy to see the flowers that day.

 

Tomorrow came too fast. You woke early and paced around a bit before giving up and just grabbing a cup of coffee. You wished you could have gone to the park, but you wanted to be here whenever Sans decided to show up. You went out onto the back porch, sitting on the edge of the concrete. Luka sat right next to you.

You sipped your coffee slowly, hoping time would go slower so you could put off meeting Sans. That is, if he even wanted to talk. If he even understand your cryptic reply. If he even cared.

For a second, you thought you saw movement in the corner of the yard.

Your eyes snapped there.

No, nothing was there. Just the bulky tarp, the thing you couldn't bring yourself to sell or throw away. An empty patch of grass. A very unsettling quiet.

One trip to the flowers, and you'd be back in time to catch him. If he came. One quick trip. That was all. Just to make sure they were okay.

"Stay, Luka." 

The walk was very, very quiet. A single mockingbird sang a song for a few brief seconds, then went silent. It was uncomfortable, but oddly settled your nerves.

The clearing, circled by low bushes, was empty, save for the half circle of forget-me-nots. The soft, blueish hue both settled your churning gut and made you swallow back tears.

You settled on the soft dirt, bringing your knees up to you chest and hugging them. You forgot about your promise to only take a minute and then go back. At that moment, you wanted nothing more than to stay there forever, alone together with the forget-me-nots.

You don't know how long you were there for when you heard someone coming up the path behind you. You didn't turn to see who it was.

The footsteps stopped at the entrance to the clearing. A long pause.

"Sans?" You eventually asked the empty air.

"yeah."

You waited for him say 'Stay away from my brother' or something. When it didn't happen, you waved him in weakly.

"You can come in. I'm not going to tell you stay out of my life or burn in hell or whatever."

You thought he let out a relieved sigh as the footsteps came closer, but it might have been the soft breeze. Another pause.

"I'm sorry." You finally said. "For snapping at you like that. You have every right to be frustrated and angry with me. I should have given you an explanation."

"i should be the one apologizing. i pushed you when you weren't ready for it yet." 

You were surprised. "No, you just expected me to behave like any other normal, functioning creature should, and I didn't, so of course you got angry."

"... i'm sorry."

"Me too."

Another pause. "You know that thing I said, about you not understanding? I was telling the truth. You're social, friendly, funny, likable... And I'm just... broken."

"broken? are you okay?" The footsteps came up behind you and you were aware of him leaning over the top of you, watching you carefully. You realized the mistake.

"No, not... physically." You sighed, and he hesitantly kneeled beside you. "More... up here." You tapped near your temple, finally looking at him. His eyes were dark with lack of sleep and confusion. You cringed, averting your gaze. "I'm bad at this, I'm sorry."

You turned back to the flowers. "I've... I have social anxiety disorder. Also generalized anxiety disorder. Maybe. I haven't checked with my therapist in a while. I'm not sure it ever goes away, really." A pause. "Basically... I get really anxious, really easily. It makes me really paranoid and afraid, all the time. I don't let people in easily, and even then I have to be careful, cause when they leave, it hurts that much more." You tugged on your sleeves.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you. When people realize I'm practically made of glass, they don't want to be responsible for breaking me. They don't know how to handle it, so they just try to avoid it. No one likes dealing with someone else's' problems. I end up hurt and alone, so I try my best to keep it hidden as long as possible. I didn't want to lose you guys by scaring you away with my weird mental problems."

"we wouldn't leave like that."

You're surprised by his sudden interjection. You look up, and he's watching you with eyes so serious, gaze full of understanding and sadness; it makes your heart ache,

"we'll try our best to understand, okay? we won't let something like this tear us apart. we'll do our best to help you when you need it and be supportive." A pause. "if you want us to."

You can only look at him for a long moment before suddenly breaking into tears. Not the loud, ugly kind you hate so much; just a silent cry that sends big, blubbery tears rolling down your cheeks. You hastily try to wipe them away.

"shit, i'm sorry, i didn't-" He reaches out for you and stops midway, hands posed awkwardly in thin air.

"No, no, don't be sorry! I want you here, more than anything I've ever wanted before. I just... never thought anyone would want to stay, let alone..." You're running out of air and, as fast as you can wipe the tears away, they come back. "Oh my god, Sans. You have no idea... how much that means to me." You try your best to smile at him, and he returns one just as bad.

"geez, and i thought humans were bad before." He chuckled a little placing a hand gently on your shoulder, unsure of how far to go.

"Humans are assholes." You laugh weakly. "Even to other humans."

His gaze sharpens. "you don't mean...?" You caught on fairly quickly. Of course, the bullying question.

"No, not really. I mean, not too bad. Just... teasing here and there, complaining when they had to work with me, that kind of thing." You shrugged. "It definitely could have been worse."

A pause, then, "did you ever...?" You look over out of the corner of your eye and see him drag his pointer finger across his wrist. Well, that was one you hadn't gotten before. At least, not so gently.

"No. I figured it wouldn't really help. Just scare people away more."

He just watches you mournfully, eyes soft. You look away, eyes catching on the forget-me-nots.

Should you?

Well, you'd come this far.

"Sans."

"i'm here."

"These aren't just..." You sigh, and try again. "I want you to meet Dusty, Tumble and Molly." You tap the dirt in front of each bunch of forget-me-nots respectively.

He looks at them for a moment, a look of confusion on his face as he sits beside you in the dirt. Then, it seems to suddenly dawn in him. He looks at you with wide eye sockets, a silent question there.

You just nod. "Dusty and Tumble were my rabbit boys. Molly was my cat."

He sucked in a breath. "what... happened? if you don't mind me asking."

You had never talked about it before. 

But you trusted Sans.

"Rabbits..." You shrugged. "They tend to have a lot of spine problems. They can just... move wrong and one of their hind legs goes out. Partial paralysis. Then it slowly gets worse, crawling up their side... Quality of life just disappears." You reach out and touch the flowers. "Molly was just... old. I woke up one morning to her looking at me, then she curled up beside me and..." Fresh tears rushed out.

Another long, long pause. "... how long has it been?"

"What month is it?"

"second of october."

You hummed. "Two years for Dusty and Tumble. About... nine months for Molly."

A pause. He was probably about to spew some pity that didn't really mean anything. But nothing like that came.

"must have been hard." He said instead, and it sounds like he really means it.

"Yeah. I'm afraid one day something will happen to Luka and..." You bury your face in your knees, shaking and crying harshly. "I'm afraid one day she'll just be gone and I'll be alone." You swallow a sob. "I'm so afraid, Sans. I'm so alone."

You expected the typical 'It'll be okay' or 'You'll get through this.'

What you didn't expect was two oddly sturdy arms to wrap around you firmly.

"you're not. not anymore. you don't have to be afraid. we'll be here. always."

For a second, you can't move. Then, you're grabbing him just as tightly, crying all over the fluffy rim of his blue hoodie. Your cheek brushes his, and some faint part of your mind marvels at how warm and smooth the bone is. He rubs your back slowly while you try to calm yourself.

You stay like that for a long time. 

By the time you calm down and pull away, you feel something like guilt settle in your gut.

You wipe away the remaining tears and let out a little laugh at how ridiculous you must look.

"you okay?"

"Yeah." You heave a few deep breaths, then look deep into his eyes. He's smiling gently at you, so reassuringly that you feel like you might just melt. "God," you weakly laugh out, looking away, "I don't deserve you guys at all."

Suddenly his gaze turns serious and he grabs your face in his hands and makes you look at him. "don't say that. whatever's going on inside your head is lying to you. you deserve so much more than this. you deserve so much more than what the world's given you." The tip of his thumb runs under your eye, eyes softening again. "okay?"

All you can do is nod, a new kind of tears spilling out. Tears of happiness. Tears of disbelief. By now, the sun is dipping down to the horizon, casting everything in yellow light.

"good. let's get you back to your house before Luka has a heart attack."

You laugh. "Was she freaking out when you got there?"

"she's the one that cued me in on where you were. do you always leave your front door unlocked?" He raises an eyebrow at you.

You just laughed, standing awkwardly, legs stiff. "Only when I'm home." A comfortable silence fell as you walked back to the house. When you got there, you paused in the yard, then grabbed his shoulder. He looked at questioningly as you led him over to the far corner.

You picked up a corner of the tarp, pulling it away. Beneath, a dusty rabbit hutch. 

"I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. It would have felt like... betrayal, almost." You cover it back up. He just nods, as if he understands the feeling. Maybe he does. You hadn't asked much about his own past, after all.

You both enter the house. Luka bounds up almost frantically, tongue hanging out anxiously. You smile at her, giving her a comforting pat on the head. Her gaze brightens and she wags her tail, whole body lurching with the movement, dancing around you happily. You laugh and tussle with her for a moment. Eventually, she just leans against you and makes a noise very much like a sigh content. You catch Sans watching you with a look that makes you flush and avert your gaze, embarrassed. He chuckles, and when you look back up, he's just shaking his head.

Then he looks at you, usual smile on his face. "wanna come over to our place for movie night?"

You smiled, glad to see that he was putting everything behind him. "Sure thing. And... Sans?" You asked as you both headed for the door.

"yeah?" He turned to look back you, hand on the doorknob, the smiling curve of his cheekbones catching the golden light of the sunset. You smiled at the sight. For some reason, it filled you with a sense of calm.

"If I can ever help you, let me in and let me know. Okay?"

He paused, then nodded, opening the door as you both walked out, Luka frolicking enthusiastically along, happy to see everything resolved. "okay."


	10. Movie Night, Take Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another movie night with the skelebros. Also, robo-homo is a no go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALL THIS LOVE //SCREAMING// Thank you all for the support!! I'm so, so glad you're liking the story.
> 
> Also, have some fluff for dessert. //scoops this onto your plate//
> 
> //I wasn't planning on making a chapter like this but I just kind of wrote this in fifteen minutes so I'm sorry if it's bad ha ha,,,

When you walked into the skelehome, Papyrus was overjoyed to see you and Sans had made up and was even more overjoyed to find out you would having another movie night together, though of course he insisted you eat 'apology spaghetti,' which made you realize how hungry you were (Papyrus was ecstatic when you asked for seconds). Sans, immediately following apology spaghetti, took his usual spot on the couch and told Papyrus to pick out a movie.

You, however, were not exactly keen on another Mettaton marathon. A Metta-thon, if you will. Don't take that the wrong way, his stuff wasn't... bad, but it got old after a while. You tried to convince Papyrus to pick something else, but he said they had to watch it in Mettaton's honor, since he'd been on tour as of late and he missed seeing him.

He looked so down that you just told him to pick whatever. Seeing that goober happy was worth having to watch a few Mettaton flicks.

"Okay so... he's in love with this human, but the king guy doesn't support interspecies love."

"IT LOSES ITS MEANING WHEN YOU SAY IT LIKE THAT!"

"I'm sorry, Pap, I'm just trying to understand here." You held back your giggles. He looked so indignant. Sans was laughing into his hand.

"Okay so king who doesn't support interspecies love-"

"A ROBOT IS NOT A SPECIES!"

"Well, he's, like, a monster, right? So he's part of the monster species?"

"OH MY GOD, HUMAN."

"I'm just trying to understand, Pap."

He let out a loud sigh. "OKAY, CONTINUE."

"So king guy-" Papyrus shot you a look that practically screamed 'Say it again, I dare you' "- wants to throw human in the dungeon because robo-homo is a no go?"

Sans was practically crying at this point.

"'ROBO-HOMO?'"

"Homo as in... homosapien." You slid a look in Sans' direction who was shaking in the effort to control his laughter. "As in, humans are homosapiens." You smiled as innocently as possible at Papyrus.

"WELL, YES, THEN."

"Oh, I see now. Thank you, Pap." You finally let yourself giggle uncontrollably as Sans just busts out laughing, wiping away a nonexistent tear.

"WHAT IS SO FUNNY?"

"T-this is j-just the way I express my heartbroken feelings for thi-is t-trahahaha-agic tale, Pap." You managed to choke out, throwing your head back as you laughed with abandon. 

Charlie looked upon the whole scene with a look of distaste.

Eventually, you and Sans calm down enough for the movie to be resumed. Papyrus didn't seem to think anything of the exchange you'd shared, as he was soon very absorbed in the movie.

For more then just the story, you soon realized.

He was watching it wistfully, not smiling as much as he used to when Mettaton appeared on screen. You frowned, then, hesitantly, touched his arm. He jumped and swiveled his head in your direction.

"You okay, Pap?"

"B-BUT OF COURSE." His gaze flickered to the screen even as he answered.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon, Pap." 

He blinked at you. "I KNOW, BUT... WHAT IF HE HAS TO LEAVE RIGHT AFTER HE GETS BACK, LIKE LAST TIME?" The heartbroken look on his face prompted Luka to sit up from her place at your feet and nuzzle Pap comfortingly. He pet her absently.

"I'm sure you'll make the most of his time here, then." You smiled. "After all, any time with the great Papyrus is time well spent!"

Papyrus flushed a little, looking at the screen as Mettaton dramatically tried to push the human away, only for them to come back, filled with determination. "I hope Mettaton thinks so..." He said quietly, sighing wistfully.

Holy shit. Baby bro Paps had a crush. 

You nudged him with your elbow. "Oh, I'm sure he does!" You shot a wink his way, emphasizing the point with high pitched 'Wink wink!' He flushed orange at that.

Skeletons blushed in orange and blue. Okay.

As you went back to relaxing on the couch cushions, you caught sight of Sans grinding his teeth out of the corner of your eye. It took you second to get why.

Aw, over protective Sans. 

You nudged him and when he stopped glaring a whole in the television, you shot him a smug smile, wiggling your eye brows. He glared at you, huffing. You snickered, turning back to the movie. By this point, Mettaton was facing off against king-who-doesn't-support-interspecies-relationships to protect his loved one. It was... almost charming.

If it wasn't for Mettaton's overblown character.

Was he always like that?

By the time the movie ended and you'd settled about half way into movie two, Papyrus had drifted off. Sans had easily scooped him up off the couch and carried off, which looked kind of ridiculous, since Papyrus was about twice his height and was snoring loudly, jaw hanging open.

Very cute, however.

As he disappeared around the corner and you shut off the television (skelevision, you mentally called it), your eyes wandered over to the back door.

You froze. For a second, you thought you saw a white face pressed against the glass, but it had disappeared before you got a good look at it. 

Hesitantly, you stood and walked over to the door. You looked out and saw nothing. Carefully, you pried open the door and listened.

Somewhere, an owl called. You just have been seeing things.

It was such a nice night, you realized. Barely cold enough to warrant a jacket, but clear and crisp, smelling of the turning leaves and browning grass. You stepped out and Luka followed, sniffing at the place where the something would have stood to look in. 

If she detected any sign of a threat, she didn't give any hint. She instead went to explore the yard. 

You stood there, just off the porch, feeling the chilled, partially brittle grass beneath your feet and savoring the fresh air. You sucked a big breath, then slowly let it out.

It was the best breath of air you'd had in two years.

"you must really like our yard."

You jumped, turning around to find Sans at the door, in much a similar fashion as to that first night you'd spent with the brothers. You smiled. Seeing Sans out of his hoodie was oddly nice, even if still a little odd to see. He was wearing a thick turtle neck, which you had replicas of at home in your favorite color.

What? They were comfy. Perfect lazy wear.

"It is pretty nice. Practically the only reason I even come over." You grinned, plopping down into the grass. He chuckled, coming out to sit beside you.

"ouch."

"Anytime." You sighed happily, then whispered, "I'm glad we can just return to our routine. It's... really nice. Thank you." He hummed a response.

A pause. Then, he cleared his throat.

"you okay?"

You looked at him, kind of surprised. "Never better, actually. Why? Was I making a face?"

"no, i mean..." He suddenly blushed, looking away. "i thought you'd be kind of crushed to find out Paps had eyes for... someone else." He practically growled out the last two words. It would have been funny if it weren't for...

"Wait, you thought I had a thing for Paps?"

He looked at you sideways. "you mean you didn't?"

You laughed, throwing your head back, feeling relaxed and happy. "Oh my god, no. He's just a cute little baby bones in a big bones body. He's adorable and I want to make him happy, in a completely platonic sense. Geez, it must have looked like I was flirting all the time, huh?" You shook your head, chuckling. "I guess I should have made it clearer in the beginning. God, sorry for looking like I was putting the moves on your brother." You said it in a completely joking sense, but he just looked away, seemingly embarrassed to have mistaken your platonic support for romantic implications.

"nah. if I wanted him dating anyone, i'd want it to be someone like you." He paused. "anyone but Mettaton, even."

You laughed, even if you were somewhat flattered. "Well, thanks, I suppose, but what's your deal with Mettaton? I mean, his acting is hokey, but..."

He ground his teeth. "he practically can't take his hands off Pap whenever he's around, for one thing. he's an egocentric jerk, for another. he's full of himself, he puts himself before anyone else, do i really have to go on?" He narrowed his eyes at the distant trees. "... and he's gonna hurt Paps." He sighed out, looking away.

"Aw, Sans." You put a hand on his back. It felt odd without his hoodie there. Not too bony, but lacking something. Not even creepy. Just... odd. "It's sweet that you want to protect Pap like that, and I don't exactly know Mettaton, but maybe you should trust Pap on this one." He shot you a look of disbelief. "Otherwise," you rushed out, "you're gonna be the one hurting him by keeping him away from the person he seems to very genuinely like." You paused. "Does that make sense?"

Sans sighed. "yeah, and i hate that it does. thanks for the advice, bud." A comfortable silence. Luka came up and attempted to find the best position to receive the maximum amount of affection from both of you. "by the way, Charlie's gonna need more food pretty soon. think you can set me up with some of that premium stuff?" He grinned, rubbing his phalanges together and speaking in a typical 80s gangster voice. 

"Aye, I know just the guy." You answered in an even worse accent, grinning, then remembered something and gasped. "Oh my god, it's a good thing you or Paps didn't go to the store today." 

"what? why?" Sans cocked an eyebrow at you.

"So yesterday I called my boss to let him know I wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be coming in today and he asked if it was something involving you or Paps-" Sans stiffened a bit at that, eye lights disappearing "-and I told him yes since I kind of trust him in like an uncle-ish kind of way and he said something like if you'd hurt me you'd be answering to him and then he hung up and I got kind of worried because the last time he said something like that he ended up kind of strangling a guy in a headlock because he threatened to knock over the hamster cages, but only until the cops arrived to take him away and then said it was to restrain him. ...Sans?"

"is that the big guy with the expressionless face we're talking about?"

"Yeah, that sounds like him."

"remind me not to piss him off. he sounds a like bad time."

All you could do was laugh.


	11. Putting each other back together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has bad days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Badly written angst ahead!! Everyone hit the deck!!

It'd been two weeks since 'the incident.' Things had been going ever smoothly, not a single disaster in sight.

Okay, maybe except for the morning after you and Sans made up. You'd gone into work as usual, briefly forgetting to tell boss not to attack either of the skelebros, and, when Sans stopped by to get Charlie's food, you'd walked around the corner to your boss holding up a very startled Sans by the collar of his hood, murmuring something so softly you couldn't quite hear it. You'd had to separate them, flushed with embarrassment. Boss didn't look at you the whole time, instead keeping his eyes locked with Sans', who just stared back at him. Eventually, boss ended with a small nod to Sans before disappearing into the back of the store.

Yeah. He was not good with words. You apologized on his behalf. Sans said he did not the least bit sorry.

It was incredibly awkward, though, 'tibia honest,' afterwards Sans found it 'pretty humerus.' You did not. You preferred not to talk about it.

But that was in the past. Halloween was fast approaching, but you weren't worried too much about it; with your house being off the road and sheltered off by trees, you hardly got any trick-or-treaters. Mostly just teenagers that didn't even bother to wear a costume and expected candy anyway. You scared them off by training Luka to snarl whenever they happened upon the doorstep. 

It was late Saturday morning and you were busy making breakfast for lunch in hopes your skeleton neighbors would like pancakes and bacon. They were the only thing you made that you had any confidence in being good. As you danced lightly around the kitchen, tossing a spare piece of bacon to Luka, who was more then happy to contribute to the work, your phone went off.

You slid over to the counter on your fuzzy socks, smiling when you saw it was 'The Great Papaya.'

"Yyyyyyyellow, proud parent of a dog speaking."

"Hello, human- wait, you are the parent of Luka?" Yeah, that was Papyrus, but he was much quieter than usual. Huh. Weird.

"Figure of speech."

"... Oh. Well, I wanted to ask you a question."

"You just did."

"..."

"Alright, shoot."

"Can you... come over? Soon, preferably?" He sounded... worried.

"Sure thing. I'll be over in fifteen minutes, tops." 

"Thank you." He let out a sigh of relief before the line went dead. 

You stuffed your phone into your pocket hurriedly, turning to the kitchen. You hurriedly boxed the pancakes and bacon, tossing another crumb to Luka as you did, stuffed your feet into your shoes and dashed out the door, Luka keeping pace with you. Whatever had Pap concerned now had you concerned, too.

As soon as you knocked, the door was flung open and you were let inside by a very fidgety Papyrus. You put the container of bacon and pancakes on the kitchen counter and turned to Papyrus.

"Alright, what's up, big guy?"

He wrung his hands, looking over his shoulder. "... It's Sans." He sighed, turning back to you. "On some days in the past, he had locked himself in his room and refused to come out or tell me what was wrong. I was hoping it'd stopped but..." He looked away. "I was hoping you could help him. You and he... You work on a similar level he thinks I will not understand." He looked to you desperately. 

Your gut twisted at the words and the look on his face: Lost, frustrated, concerned. You doubted Sans would be willing to open up to you if he wasn't willing to open to his brother, but you were willing to give it a shot.

"Okay, Pap. I'll try."

"Thank you, human." 

"Of course."

He led you into the hallway you hadn't dared to enter before: Two doors on the left, two doors on the right. One bathroom, two bedrooms and... a spare room? Maybe just a closet.

Papyrus stopped at the last door on the left, directly across from a door covered in stickers and decorated with an old, beat up pirate flag. He just nodded to the left door, then quickly disappeared back into the living room. 

Luka, who'd followed you, looked up at you and tilted her head questioningly. You knelt down, eye to eye with her.

"Alright, girl," you whispered, "you've helped me more times than I care to count, but now we have to help some else, okay?" She blinked at you slowly, then nudged your hand. You smiled at her softly, ruffled her ears, then straightened up, facing the fairly intimidating door.

You knocked gently.

No answer.

"Sans?" You pressed closer to the door, speaking softly, though carefully loud enough to be heard. "It's... It's me. _______. And Luka."

No answer.

"Please. I... I want to help."

No answer.

A sharp click.

You looked down at the door knob, startled. You hadn't expected anything, let alone for him to unlock the door. You carefully grabbed the door knob. 

"We're coming in, okay?" You waited, holding your breath, for him to have a change of heart and lock the door again. When it didn't happen, you slowly pushed the door open.

It was dark as night inside, but you could see the shadow of clutter on the floor, a bulky shape in the corner, a long table, and a bed in the far corner. On it, a hunched shape you could only assume was Sans. 

You approached tentatively, knowing the varying boundaries one could have in a situation like this; you, on many occasions, had been conflicted about so much as breathing the same air as someone else, had been so crowded just by someone across the room, had wanted to be held tightly.

Luka behaved similarly, carefully watching him, keeping pace with you.

"I'm going to sit with you, okay?"

No answer. The shape on the bed may have shifted somewhat.

You sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, careful to give him space, Luka settling on the floor in the space between. He was hunched in on himself, hood drawn up, head titled down. It made you ache to see someone normally so determined to keep a strong exterior looking so... broken down.

"Hey." You whispered. "How are you feeling?"

Nothing.

"... You know you can talk to me, right?"

A small nod. You were surprised. You hadn't expected a response at all.

"Just... Let me in."

"i don't want to scare you away." His voice was hushed and hoarse around the edges.

You blinked. 

"if I tell you what's wrong, you'll only freak out. i don't want to be responsible for you leaving."

"Hey, now. If I can spill my guts to you and you won't leave, nothing you can say will shake me off now." You paused, then added. "So long as you'll have me."

"i want you here. that's why i can't tell you." That sounded a lot like what you had told others a million times before. And it only spooked them. Not you. You knew how this worked. Or, at the very least, how you worked.

"... Then don't tell me. Just let me be there for you. Locking yourself away isn't get help."

A long, long pause.

"has someone ever promised you they wouldn't do something, but you're afraid they'll do it anyway?" 

You grimaced in empathy. "Often."

"what do you do?"

You glanced at him in disbelief. He still wasn't looking at you, but he had more or less asked for advice. You mulled it over. "Give them a reason not to." He shifted slightly. "If it's something they do when they're sad, try to make sure they aren't sad. If it's something they do when they're mad, try to make sure they don't get mad." You shrugged. "At least, that's what I try to do."

A few minutes of silence. You were considering leaving him to his thoughts when he spoke again, even quieter then before.

"i'm scared of losing all of this." His shoulders hunched higher, as if it made him afraid to even admit it. "i'm scared one day I'll wake up and it'll be gone. that one i'll wake up and... you'll be gone and i won't be able to find you again."

You smiled as gently as you could though your heart ached. "Hey, bud. You can't shake me off that easy. I'll always be here."

"you don't know that."

"Well," you started, thinking briefly, "if by some miracle, by some trick of fate, something manages to tear us apart, I'm sure Luka here will manage will bring us back together." Luka rested her head near Sans' knee, blinking at him comfortingly.

"and what if she can't."

"Then I'll find you." The words came out as easily as if you'd been saying them your whole life. 

Sans' head snapped up and, for the first time that day, his gaze met yours. His cheekbones were stained in pale blue streaks, and there were dark shadows under his eye sockets. The lights of his were dim, but large and round as he stared at you in some form of disbelief.

Then he was lunging forward with a speed you didn't know he possessed and was wrapping his arms tight around your waist, crying into your oversized hoodie. You blinked in surprise but quickly gathered him up in your arms, scooting back further onto the bed and then settling comfortably, him more or less in your lap, your arms loose around his shoulder, rubbing his back gently. Luka crawled up onto the bed beside you, laying in a careful semi circle on Sans' other side.

He was sobbing, quietly so, but sobbing hard, big, glowing blue tears leaking from his sockets as he squeezed his eyes shut tight. His forehead was tucked close under your chin, teeth brushing your collarbone. The intimacy of the situation was lost on you and instead you focused more on soothing him the best you knew how.

You began to rock him gently, rubbing his back in long, smooth strokes. The air felt empty save for the quiet choking sounds of his sons and you felt you had to fill it with something.

Suddenly, a memory dawned on you and you began to hum quietly.

You are my sunshine,  
My only sunshine,  
You make me happy   
When skies are gray;  
You'll never know, dear,  
How much I love you,  
So, please  
Don't take my sunshine away.

He calmed a little and you, a little lost in the moment, whispered on, quietly into the air,

'The other night, dear,  
While I lay sleeping,  
I dreamt I held you close in my arms;  
When I awoke, dear,  
I was mistaken,  
So I hung my head and cried.

You are my sunshine,  
My only sunshine.  
You'll never know, dear,  
How much I love you,  
So please don't take my sunshine away.'

As you finished, you were pulled out of the memory when he quieted even further and gingerly pulled away, looking at you with large, round eyes. You blinked at him, still tucked into you, now at barely arms length with his cheeks glowing gently with what seemed to be remnants of his tears, and you blushed furiously. You hoped it wasn't visible in the dark of the room.

"Ah, sorry. Luka used to be afraid of thunderstorms, so when she got scared and couldn't sleep, I would hold her and sing to her until she slept or the storm passed." You looked away.

"... thank you." He sniffed a little, swabbing at his cheeks with his sleeves, tears coming much slower now. Luka gently placed a paw upon his knee. Together, they looked adorable in a sad way.

You shook your head, giving him one last pat on the back before you withdrew your arms. "Don't thank me. You help me. I want to help you. Okay?" You smiled at him, hoping you looked encouraging. His eyes, now brighter and less teary, just stared at you for a few seconds, then he sighed.

"... damn. i don't... i don't know what i did to... deserve this." He wiped at his face again, looking away. You caught his cheek in your hand, cradling the warm, smooth curve of it. His eyes flashed back to you.

"You deserve so much more than whatever the world has given you, Sans. I know that more than... anyone in this room. Don't fall into the same trap I did. Whatever's happened, whatever you've done, you deserve so much. Don't let anyone, or anything, tell you otherwise. No matter what happens." 

He cried again then. Not the quiet, choked sobs of before, but silent tears that caught on your hand and stained your sleeve in light blue. He brought a hand up and covered yours, sighing wistfully, closing his eyes. You just smiled at him, waiting patiently for him to let it out.

After a minute, he stopped crying and released your hand, going to wash his tears away with already damp sleeves. You stopped him and wiped his cheeks carefully, smiling at him when you finished. He smiled weakly back.

"... you're amazing." He breathed out, searching your face. You blushed again, averting your gaze briefly.

"You are, too." You patted his knee gently, swinging your legs off the bed. "I brought over some pancakes for breakfast lunch. Come out whenever you're ready." With that, you stood and walked carefully to the door. When you glanced back, Sans was holding Luka's head in his lap, petting her gently. She just gazed back him, eyes soft and happy, making a sound of content as he smiled gently back at her through tired eyes.

Heart melting, you slipped out.

 

Papyrus was both relieved and ecstatic you'd managed to talk to Sans, and respected it when you said you didn't feel to be in the position to relay what he'd said. He'd grabbed you and swung you around the kitchen, laughing in relief. 

When you told him breakfast lunch, he happily helped you set up three plates and heap them with pancakes and syrup. You hummed to yourself as you pulled the single edible item from Sans' half of the fridge- ketchup, what else- and carried things to the table.

In all honesty, you'd never felt so fulfilled. 

You'd never exactly been the one people came to for help since you'd been assumed to just be the awkward third wheel, so to find out you successfully gotten through to and helped Sans (at least a little bit) was... satisfying, in an odd way.

As you went into the dining room to put down Sans' plate, you nearly jumped out of your skin when he just seemed to appear in the opposite doorway. He still looked tired, but he'd straightened out his hoodie and cleaned off his face, looking like nothing had even happened. He smiled groggily at you.

Luka appeared at his side, sticking close to him while sneezing a greeting to you.

"Hey, you two. Hope you're ready for mediocre pancakes and bacon for lunch." You smiled back as Sans shuffled toward his seat and, as he sat, you placed the plate in front of him. As you retracted your hand, he caught it and held it gently, studying it carefully.

"... thanks." He released your hand, meeting your gaze.

"No thanks. Just eating." 

He chuckled and picked up his fork as Papyrus came in, holding a glass of water full of ice for you. Papyrus gushed over him and just about pulled a twenty questions on him before finally settling into his own spot. You gingerly sat down as well, across from them, picking over your food.

Papyrus marveled over the 'not-spaghetti,' claiming it was very good in a 'not-spaghetti' way, Sans agreeing with him. You just waved them off and told them they needed to try IHOP sometime, embarrassed but flattered.

By the time everyone was done eating, you felt reluctant to leave. You gathered the plates before Papyrus could and hurried into the kitchen to wash them. As you fell into a comfortable rhythm at the sink, hands slick with soap and gently rubbing everything clean, you were surprised when Papyrus came in and helped you dry.

He was uncharacteristically quiet for a long time, holding his thinking face. You were about to thank him for the help when he finally spoke, shockingly quiet.

"Human?"

"Yeah, Pap?"

"Is there anything besides friendship going on between you and my brother?"

If you'd been drinking, you'd have done a spit take. You nearly did one anyway. The question was so blunt and came so- at least from your point of view- out of the blue that it took you a second to answer.

"No, Pap. Sans and I aren't... We aren't together, if that's what you're asking. We're not... dating." You whispered quickly, blushing furiously.

He was quiet again. Then, "Do you think one day it could happen?"

Another almost-spit take. You nearly sputtered out how you and he were just friends and would stay that way but paused. 

Could it?

You hadn't really thought about it. In fact, you'd hardly thought about what kind of... partner you'd want since you figured they'd be scared away too quickly before anything could actually happen. 

Yes, Sans was very likable. Huggable. Kind. Loyal. He could make you laugh. He knew your boundaries and how to handle your comfort zone. He knew how to handle your problems. He KNEW your problems, and was still there. He was calming, soothing, dependable, and, even if it made you blush to admit it, even to yourself, he was very cute.

But what could he see in you? Someone he could relate problems to? That wasn't exactly a lot to go on.

Besides, you didn't even have a crush on him. You were entirely platonic together.

"I... I don't think we could go that route, Pap." You answered hesitantly, still whispering.

Another pause. "You hesitated. Does this mean... You wish there could be?"

A long, long hesitance. "I... Um." You shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, if I'm honest. I don't think so."

He looked at you from the corner of his eye, then nodded and returned to his usual self, complimenting you enthusiastically on the not-spaghetti. You smiled, relieved that the awkward discussion was over.

You were still reluctant to leave when you finished with the dishes, so you hesitantly sat on the couch. Charlie swam his way over to float next to you and you waved at him, leaning on the arm of the couch. 

"Hey, Charlie. They been treating you right?" He snubbed his nose. "Aw, poor, poor Charlie. Just look at your poor, distraught expression- ah, hold on, that's just your usual face, my bad." He shot you a look of scorn and swam away, swirling lazily above Sans' pet rock.

Sans sat next to you, even though he would usually magically move you from his spot, claiming it was 'perfectly conformed to his shape,' which you did not doubt. Papyrus immediately headed for the bookshelf full of Mettaton movies.

You guessed you all kind of needed a movie night.

Luka settled near your feet, lying down with a content sigh. You smiled and pet her with your foot as Papyrus slid a movie into the DVD player and, soon enough, everyone was settled comfortably.

Time had flown by. By the time the third movie rolled around, it was dark out and Papyrus was drifting off, obviously tired from the stressful day. Sans, who had begun nodding off, pulled himself awake and escorted Papyrus to bed. You could faintly hear him read out a story to Papyrus, and it made you smile. 

Sans was so... endearing, as sappy as it sounded.

When Sans came back, you smiled at him tiredly and, suspecting he didn't want to go to bed yet, stretched out your legs, dangling them off the couch, and patted the cushion beside you. He blinked groggily and shuffled over, surprising you by lying on his back and putting his head in your lap. You blinked down at him, smiling sleepily up at you, and smiled back and gently ran a hand from his forehead to the his crown. He hummed contentedly, eye sockets drooping.

"i'm sorry if I ruined any plans you had for today." He whispered out, looking half asleep.

"You didn't. I just wanted to share with Pap the joy of pancakes." You joked half heartedly.

He hummed again, nuzzling the side of his face into your legs. 

"Besides, you can't help it when you have bad days. Don't apologize for it."

He sighed contentedly. "you're pretty great, ya know that?"

"I'm glad you think so. You're pretty great, too." 

By that time, he had dozed off and was snoring gently away on your lap. 

As you yourself felt yourself being dragged into the darkness of sleep, you were aware of Luka crawling up onto the couch and settling near Sans' feet. Ah, yes. This felt... complete.

This was what friends were supposed to do for each other, wasn't it? There was nothing romantic about your relationship or feelings for Sans. 

Was there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's wonderful support... It's fills you with DETERMINATION!
> 
> Thank you all!! So much!!!


	12. How crushing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's pretty awkward. Also, pancakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff?? More fluff.
> 
> Also, please read end notes when you're done ha ha ;;

You woke the following morning to an odd sensation of being cramped. 

There was something warm pressed snugly against one of your sides, with a different, heavier weight resting on your stomach and legs with some other something keeping you in place via a tight grip around your waist. As you lifted a hand up to rub your face, it bumped against whatever was on your stomach which made no response except to press closer for a brief moment only to relax again.

As you pulled yourself out of your groggy state and realized you had stayed the night on the skelebros couch, you eventually looked down to see whatever was basically tying you down.

And then turned redder than a cherry.

Somehow in the night, you'd gotten into a lying position. Sans' head was using your abdomen for a pillow, arms making sure it wouldn't go anywhere. The rest of him was strewn half on top of you, one leg hooked in yours. Luka was pressed against your other side. 

Before you had a panic attack, you took a moment to savor the moment. He looked very calm in his sleep. Not so tense. Even his smile was relaxed. It was sweet in a way, the way he clung to you as if for dear life. The pressure of his bones against your skin was not as harsh as you might have expected; for one, his hoodie and turtleneck were nice padding, but even his bare leg was not as... hard as you expected. Like there was some sort of thin skin keeping it protected, in a vague sense.

Probably magic. That was his answer to anything. Like when you asked him how he got to your workplace so quickly that one time, he'd just spread his palms and whispered, 'Magic' like it was the most amazing thing you'd ever heard.

With your brief marveling done, you proceeded to panic as you tried to find a way to slip out without waking him. You'd learned in the past that he was not as heavy a sleeper as you'd thought, so it was like walking on eggshells.

When you tried to pull yourself upright, he grumbled and hooked his arms around you tighter. It made you blush further, even if it was kind of adorable. When you hooked your hands under his arms to try and lift them away, you realized his grip was iron. You tried to slide him down so you could wiggle free, but he just made a face and muttered some more and stayed exactly where he was.

You gave up after a few minutes, pressing your cool hands to your face in an attempt to calm down. Eventually, he started snoring gently, previously troubled sleep now sliding deeper again.

Luka had woken up in the middle of all of this and slid off the couch. She now rested her head beside yours and breathed on you. Suddenly, an idea occurred to you.

"Luka," you whispered quickly, "go get Pap." 

She stared at you intently.

"Pap, Luka. I need Pap."

She sneezed, then stood and walked off down the hall to the bedrooms. You sighed in relief.

God damn, that dog was a blessing.

You heard some rustling, then the click of a door being opened. Could Luka open doors...? 

A few minutes later, Papyrus shuffled out of the hall way, rubbing at his eyes, still in sleeping attire. Luka nudged at the backs of his legs, guiding him to the living room.

"What is it, canine Luka?" Papyrus asked her groggily, then looked up and met your eyes.

He froze. You froze.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

He just stared at the two of you tangled on the couch for a moment, the raised his hands and started to slowly back away.

"Pap, wait!" You hissed out, panicking again.

He paused, obviously flustered.

"I... I can't get up." You rushed out, glancing hurriedly at Sans, who appeared all but glued to your side.

Papyrus looked very conflicted for a moment, then stepped hesitantly closer. He surveyed the mess you had gotten yourself into for a moment, then deftly separated you from Sans' grip in one smooth movement.

He set you on your feet, where you wobbled for a moment before laughing quietly. 

"Dunno what I would do without you, Pap." You paused. "Also please don't tell Sans about this."

He just 'nyeh heh heh'd softly, disappearing into the kitchen, wide awake now. 

Sans grumbled in his sleep, turning over and making a face. You laughed slightly, ghosting your fingers over his forehead before following Papyrus into the kitchen, with Luka standing guard over Sans.

You ended up sitting on the counter, trying to instruct Papyrus on how to cook pancakes. 

"No, no, you have to crack the egg open and dump the insides out into the batter. No shell."

"YOU HAVE SUCH ODD RULES, HUMAN."

"Yeah, I don't doubt it."

When it came to flipping, he was very enthusiastic. The first one hit the ceiling and he stared at it as if wondering how it got there.

"Little too hard, Pap." You chuckled out, coming over and taking the pan as he tried to get it off the ceiling. "Try it like this; it's kind of a reversing scooping motion." Your flipping skills weren't the best, but you could, at the very least, pull it off without the pancake spontaneously combusting or something.

Yeah, you were not exactly the best chef, but you managed.

Eventually, Papyrus got the hang of flipping and soon, you had more pancakes then you thought an army could eat. You were vaguely surprised they had maple syrup, but at one point Sans had informed you of Papyrus' many attempts to improve upon his spaghetti using an odd mishmash of different ingredients. You internally cringed at the thought of syrup on spaghetti, but pulled it down anyway.

You walked into the living room to see Sans sitting up, attempting to push Luka away as she tried to give him a big, awful dog kiss. You laughed at the scene, which brought Luka running up to you instead. You bent and placed a kiss between her eyes, which she returned to your chin. You cringed, wiping it away.

Sans laughed. "not so funny now, is it?" He grinned, standing groggily.

"Excuse you, I just so happen to find dog kisses an essential part of every morning." You retorted, leading the way into the dining room. 

"you do that. i'm just fine without."

"Rude." You pushed him into a seat as Papyrus came in, carrying a plate heaped with pancakes like it was nothing. You trailed into the kitchen, grabbing plates and utensils, before going back in to set them down. 

Sans was still looking half-asleep, listening to Papyrus ramble about his 'extraordinary' pancakes which he made 'with a little help from the human.' You smiled at the scene. Oddly... It felt like home.

You tried not to, but ended up thinking of the awkward situation of just half an hour before. You forced the blush down.

You turned back to kitchen, grabbing two mugs and starting the coffee maker. After a minute, you filled the mugs with steaming liquid energy, and prepped them the way you'd thought you saw Sans often do it. Butterscotch creamer, sprinkle of cinnamon, pinch of sugar...

Sans seemed to be nodding off when you came back, and was startled awake when you set a mug in front of him. You sat at your own spot, putting a single pancake on your plate and tossing a crumb to Luka, who caught it like a pro, before tucking into a very nice breakfast.

"thanks, bud." Sans murmured out over the top of his mug, looking relieved to have something to give him a boost.

"Anytime." You responded cheerily, popping a bite of pancake into your mouth. "Hey, Pap, you did a great job on these."

"OF COURSE I DID." Cue sassy head toss. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL."

"That you are."

Papyrus was talking about 'the odd human tradition of Halloween approaching closer,' with you nodding along calmly, when he mentioned a party.

"WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT A NEW ABOVE GROUND TRADITION TO HAVE A HALLOWEEN PARTY EACH YEAR! THIS YEAR, IT WILL BE THE DAY BEFORE SINCE FRISK WANTS TO GO TRICK AND TREATING."

"Trick or treating."

"YES, THAT."

Sans seemed to remember something, the coffee slowly wiping the groggy look from his face. "that reminds me, you got any plans on halloween?" 

"Not really. I never get many trick-or-treaters, so..." You shrugged.

Papyrus wiggled in his seat. "YOU SHOULD JOIN US! WE ARE HAVING A TRICK AND TREATING PARTY OUTSIDE TO LURE IN SMALL HUMANS FOR CANDY!"

That would have sounded creepy in any other situation.

"yeah, we were wondering if you'd like to join us. Undyne and Alphys will be joining us, but..." Sans looked uncertain, averting his gaze. "i figured you'd like to use it as a chance to try again with them...?"

You mulled it over. 

It did sound like fun. Getting to see the trick or treaters react to Sans and Papyrus, and of course likewise, would be great. It'd been a few years since you'd been to an actual holiday party, too.

Plus you'd get to meet Alphys and Undyne in a much more comfortable standing and hopefully add two new friends to your roster.

"Sure, I'm game." You smiled at Sans. "I'd like that."

He smiled back, seeming relieved. It warmed your heart to think he was looking out for you.

Something fluttered in your stomach at that. No, no, your feelings were platonic. Strictly so. Absolutely platonic.

Your thoughts went back to earlier that morning, with Sans holding you, and how, before the panic set it, it felt... nice. Comfortable. 

Okay, yeah. You had a crush.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, I guess I'm not going to be able to post the Christmas chapter on time. Oh well, I guess.
> 
> When I first wrote this, I overhauled it twice. At first, it was supposed to take place with Reader in the place of Frisk underground. Then I put it above ground and the first attempt was awkward and I had to redo the whole story.
> 
> Needless to say, I was not expecting it to have ten chapters, let alone to still have plenty left by chapter twelve. We still have a few chapters left before the 'climax,' and then it'll take a few more to wrap everything up the way I want it.
> 
> So, don't fret over the story ending yet, my children. 
> 
> Also, thank you all so, so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you're liking it!
> 
> For those with anxiety: Stay determined!!  
> Those without: I hope this helps you understand what anxiety is like, I guess?
> 
> Everyone, have a very merry Christmas! 
> 
> Let it fill you with determination!


	13. A Tale of Dog and Monster: Halloween Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween. That's it. That's the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha this one is awful,, forcing yourself to write on writers block bears poor results. Sorry bout that.

"Pap, when I said get us a few pumpkins, I didn't mean... how many even is that?" 

"NINE!!" He bounced excitedly, almost dropping one.

You chuckled behind your hand, dragging it across your face. "Okay, three for each of us. Plenty of room for messing up, I guess."

It was Halloween, and you were trying to introduce jack-o-lanterns to the bros.. You had sent Papyrus to fetch candy for the 'treaters, and, of course, some pumpkins. When you had said 'a few,' you'd meant three. You silently reminded yourself you always had to be specific with Pap.

"MAY WE COMMENCE THE CARVING?"

"Sure. I already found some suitable knives, and some spoons, so we should be all set." You waved him over to the table.

"BY CARVING... DID YOU MEAN EATING? I AM NOT SURE THIS IS AS EXCITING AS I ONCE THOUGHT..."

"No, no." You laughed. "Cmere. First, you gotta open up the pumpkin. Cut a hole around the stem. Yeah, like that. Now remove it." You picked up a bowl from beside you, setting it between the both of you. "Okay, you have to scoop all the seeds and junk in order to make it hollow. Wait, no, don't use your hands-"

You were just getting started on your own pumpkin, cutting off the 'lid,' when Sans entered the room. At first, you didn't notice, being concentrated on working through a particularly stubborn part of the task; besides, he'd been practically avoiding you all day.

But then the air felt... prickly, like when a heavy storm was just about to crack open and rain buckets. You glanced up.

Sans was frozen in the doorway, whatever candy he'd been holding now thoroughly crushed in his fists. His left eye was flashing frantically, pale blue to yellow and back again. The other was hollow. It was...

Slightly frightening. Mostly because his gaze was trained on you.

"Um, hey. I was just showing Pap how to carve. Wanna join...?" You had a sinking feeling in your gut. Did you do something... wrong?

'Serves you right for trying to impress him.' Whispered that part of your mind that had been very quiet for a long time. You tried to ignore it.

He blinked twice, and the blinking blue light of his eye was replaced with the usual eye lights. Sweat beaded on his brow and he averted his gaze. "nah, i'm good. looks like too much work for a lazy bones like me." With that, he turned and left again.

Ouch.

You tried to push down the crushing feeling and ignore the insistent whispering of that inner voice.

'You fucked up again. Good job. And just when you thought things were going so smoothly. Such a shame.'

You were broken out of your thoughts by Papyrus asking what the next step was. You tried to shake off your impending bad mood and put on a smile.

"Alright, so you take a pencil and trace out whatever kind of face of carving you want to do. How would you like to start?"

"WITH MYSELF, OF COURSE!"

"Okay." You laughed half heartedly. "Let's... Um." You scratched the back of your head. "Just... Like, draw it on and then carve it out." You were losing the flow of it. Damn. You focused on your own pumpkin. "Just... Ask if you need help."

By the time you'd finished tracing your own pattern- a dog silhouetted against a moon- Papyrus had gotten halfway through carving his face into his own pumpkin. Sans had yet to reappear. 

You eventually got engulfed in the work- it was a nice way to distract your thoughts and shut up that small voice. You carefully carved out the scruff of the dog, then an eye, and finally the slightly parted jaws. You dug out a series of thin lines beneath the shape, so it looked like a rocky outcropping instead of an endless void.

You then furiously began your next pumpkin, emptying it in record time. This one would be a cat- back arched up, tail all fluffy, eyes wild- settled against a window. The next could be the typical fanged face. Maybe scarier. 

You both finished around the same time. Papyrus' were all of himself. Yours were all animals- as usual. Even if you never got 'treaters, you would try to carve each year, just for the fun of it. It had stood you in good stead; yours didn't look half bad.

"You guys have any candles?"

Papyrus just looked at you blankly. 

"Good thing I brought some myself, then." You fished around in the bag you'd brought over, Luka watching you carefully just in case you opened one of the bags candy. You pulled a handful out and set them in the pumpkins. "Once it gets dark, we'll light em up. That's when we'll see how well we really did."

You stood and stretched, glancing at the clock. It was only an hour or so until it got dark. 

"Alright, I'm heading off to my place real fast."

"DID YOU FORGET SOMETHING?"

"No, I just want to put my costume on. I'll only be a second." 

"DOES LUKA NOT HAVE A COSTUME?!"

"Um, no."

"I HAVE THE PERFECT THING!!" With that, he scooped up Luka and raced to his room. 

"... Okay."

You scooped up the extra bags, then jogged for the door. On the way, you nearly ran into Sans. "Er- yikes, sorry. Wasn't looking where I was going."

"don't worry about it." He followed you out the door, hands in his pockets. "where you off to?" Did he sound... nervous?

"Just going to change clothes and put on a lazy costume, then I'll be right back." You shrugged, stepping onto the sidewalk. "Figured wearing it all day would be overkill."

"alright. good." He sounded almost relieved. "i'll be seeing ya, pal." With that, he waved and began walking in the opposite direction. You turned, paused, and turned back.

He wasn't there. What even...?

Magic. Don't question it.

You jogged home, quickly sliding into the skeleton printed sweater you'd had for years, then swapping out your usual jeans for a black pair that weren't a size too large.

You then contemplated the witches hat you'd had for years. Would it be overkill...?

Fuck it. It's Halloween, damn it.

You pressed it on snugly, then headed out the door. 

When you got back, it looked like Sans was still out. However, Papyrus was modeling Luka in the living room.

He'd somehow decorated her in bones. Some curved around her chest, some rested on her neck, and she even had two long fangs sticking out from her under her lips. Short, small bones went from the back of her neck to the end of her tail.

In a way, it was amazing. She didn't even seem bothered by them.

She pranced up to you, tossing her head as she did so. Several of the bones clattered together almost musically. 

"WHAT DO YOU THINK?" Papyrus beamed at you, clapping his hands happily.

"Wow, Pap. I'm impressed. She looks... amazing." You bent down and gave her a smooch between the eyes. "Don't you, my skeletal canine?"

"OF COURSE SHE DOES! YOU LOOK AMAZING AS WELL, HUMAN!" You blushed slightly, flattered.

"Thank you, Pap. I'm glad you think so."

It was then that Sans appeared, shuffling inside. At first, his gaze rested on Luka. He looked at her for a few moments, then chuckled.

"wow, Pap. when you said you had a costume for the dog, i didn't think you meant to rattle kids bones."

"SANS!"

He shrugged, then swiveled his gaze to look at you and seemed to freeze up. He blinked a few times, cheeks a pale blue hue. You shuffled slightly and grabbed at the rim of the hat, bending it over your face. That seemed to snap him out of it.

"wow, kid. nice, uh, costume." He cleared his throat, avoiding your gaze.

"Um. Thanks."

Luka trotted up to Sans and began nosing at his stomach, wagging gently.

Thank you, Luka, for being a distraction.

"h-hey, now, bud. stop that." Sans edged uneasily away from Luka, sidestepping toward his room. Luka tilted her head at him, then tried to sniff at him again. He dodged easily, then disappeared down the hall.

Well, that was awkward. 

You stared after him, confused, until you caught Papyrus' eye. He was grinning at you knowingly, then wiggled his eye brows. You flushed and punched him.

"Stop that!"

He just 'nyeh heh heh'd loudly, then bounced into his room, talking loudly about his costume. You were left in the living room, standing awkwardly beside your dog decorated in bones.

You went about getting things ready, soon helped by Papyrus, now dressed in an over the top chefs outfit. You hefted a long table out the door and out onto the driveway, then draped it in a pumpkin decorated table cloth and several candles. Orange lights were hung from the tree in the corner of yard, along with small, paper ghosts. The jack-o-lanterns were just done being placed around the porch and yard when a faintly familiar car pulled up.

Out lunged a familiar blue fish monster dressed in tattered clothes with somewhat badly done 'gory injuries,' who tackled Papyrus, followed by a short, yellow monster, dressed in a tacky pumpkin-themed sweater, looking very shy.

You waved to her when she looked up. She smiled and waved back, then went to chastise her girlfriend for attacking Papyrus. 

"So this is the same punk from last time, huh?!" Undyne nearly yelled, now standing intimidatingly close, arms crossed.

You stepped back. "Yeah, that'd be me. Sorry for the... awkward first meeting." You grinned feebly.

"O-oh, no, don't worry about it! We c-completely understand." Alphys smiled back, trying to be reassuring.

You sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god. I was afraid you'd..." You trailed off.

"Hate you?! Ha, as if!" Undyne chortled. "It'd be hard to hate Sans' datefriend!"

You flushed. "What? No, no, no! We're not- together."

Undyne stared at you. "You ARENT?! Why not?!"

"U-Undyne!"

"Well, can you blame me?! He won't stop talking about them, like, ever!" She threw her hands up, looking disappointed.

You buried your face in your hands while Alphys told Undyne to quiet down and not get so excited. Meanwhile, Luka came trailing out of the house, paused to take hold of the situation and then came bounding to your side, rattling all the while.

"ALPHYS LOOK AT THIS DOG!" Undyne suddenly burst out, pointing. "Look at this badass piece of shit!"

"U-Undyne! Calm down!"

"But just look at how totally cool this dog looks! Is that your dog?!"

You absently lowered a hand to Luka, who licked the tips of your fingers. "Uh, yeah. This is Luka."

"She's cool. You're cool." Undyne nodded as if having just said the final word in an argument, then looked around. "Hey, Pap, you didn't do a half bad job on all this."

Papyrus, who had just finished straightening his costume, tossed his head, causing his hat to fall to the ground. "OF COURSE I DIDNT! THOUGH IT WAS MAINLY THE HUMANS IDEA."

You looked at him surprise. He was hardly one to pass the spotlight to another. Then it dawned on you: he was trying to help you give a good second-impression to his friends. 

Undyne proceeded to hook an arm under your chin and noogie you hard enough to hurt. "Man, you just keep getting cooler!" She laugh uproariously, then charged into the house for god knows what reason. You couldn't help the sigh of relief.

"I-I'm sorry about her. She can b-be a bit much." Alphys wrung her hands nervously, looking somewhat sweaty.

"It's no problem. I don't mind." You shrugged weakly, somewhat afraid of the chaos to ensue. 

She looked at you curiously. "B-by the way, I'm sorry about how things turned out at first. If I had realized you were uncomfortable, I would have... asked Undyne to tone it down a bit more." She sighed. "B-but, hey! Y-you're looking a lot better than last time." She paused, then panicked. "N-not that you looked bad before!"

"No, no, I get what you mean." You smiled at her, glad to have someone on a similar wavelength to talk to. "And, thank you. Sans has been... helping me." 

She nodded, adjusting her glasses, the whispered, looking distracted. "I-I think you've been helping h-him too."

You felt heat rise to your face and tried to push it down. "I'm glad. I was hoping I was."

Undyne then came galloping out of the house with Charlie's tank, with Charlie still inside. You nearly had a heart attack. 

"Can't have this punk missing out, can we?!" She set him on the table, between two bowls of candy, dropped a small, plastic pumpkin into the tank, then stood and admired her work. Alphys went to make sure Charlie hadn't died in the process.

You could get used to this quirkiness. It was... refreshing, if loud.

Sans came shambling slowly out of the house, looking very pleased with himself. He scanned everything slowly, smiling wider, if possible. 

"we did a good job on this." 

"YOU DIDNT DO ANYTHING!"

"i supervised. from my room."

Papyrus groaned loudly.

Sans came down the porch steps, though something about the way he carried himself was odd. He wasn't walking with so much movement as before; it was hard to catch, but he was being very... calculated. Careful, almost. 

He shuffled up beside you, looking very, very smug about something. 

"hey, kid."

"Uh, yeah?" You were already very, very suspicious.

"i've got a stomach ache. could you check it out for me?"

What in the living fuck?

"Um.... O...kay?" You turned to him and he grinned wider at your confusion, sniggering.

He proceeded to unzip his jacket to reveal a plain white shirt beneath- and then proceeded to roll it up to his ribs.

You nearly fainted. 

But then there was movement from within his abdominal cavity- small, but there. You blinked a few times as he continued rolling up his shirt.

Sitting on his hipbones was a blotchy gray cat, complete with a pumpkin-themed ribbon around its neck, looking very confused. When it saw you, it mewled, standing awkwardly. Sans winced as it dug its claws in to try and find a grip.

What in all fucking...?

As you bent to scoop it out-

"YEAH!! GET SOME!!" 

You proceeded to turn a million shades of red, but pulled the tiny cat out anyway. As soon as it was out, Sans dropped his shirt and zipped up his hoodie halfway, looking flustered and shooting a look in Undyne's direction. She just grinned toothily and flashed a thumbs up.

"Sans?" You stared at the tiny gray fluff ball now clinging to your sweater.

"uh, happy halloween." He shrugged sheepishly, suddenly looking not so confident and rather more worried.

You blinked at him, then at the tiny cat, then at him. 

"Oh my god!! I can't believe you actually got me a cat?!" You then brought the tiny thing up to your face and gave it a big smooch, hugging it close. "I can't believe you did that! Putting it on your hipbones?!" You laughed uproariously, then danced in a circle, cooing to the kitten, who mewled happily back.

Sans let out a sigh of relief, then grinned lazily. "figured you'd think it was the cats meow."

"SANS!!" 

"anyway." Sans grinned at Papyrus, who huffed. "feel free to name him after me." He then winked, but seemed to wait for your response. By this time, the kitten had found his way to your shoulders and was happily purring away, kneading your sweater.

"Hm. How about... Specter?" 

"Specter?" He chuckled. 

You blushed, hiding your face in the fluffy side of the kitten. "Y'know, like a ghost. Since he's, uh... gray..." You were having second thoughts.

"nah, it's good." Sans gave him a light pet, then patted your shoulder and walked off to heckle Papyrus.

Undyne was grinning at you as she 'casually strolled' (power walked) up, Alphys in tow.

"Oh my goodness, you guys are so cute!" Alphys squealed, putting her hands to her cheeks. 

You flushed.

"Are you sure you guys aren't a thing?" Undyne said, bending down to whisper loudly next to you.

"100%!" You exclaimed, tucking the kitten into the front of your shirt, like a kangaroo Joey. "Listen, I told him something and he's trying to make me feel better about it, okay? That's what friends do." You tried to ignore the burning of your cheeks.

Undyne groaned. Alphys giggled. Luckily, it was just about then that the first cluster of 'treaters appeared, awed by the skeletons, fish, lizard and out-of-place human.

 

The rest of the night went smoothly.

The kids loved Luka- a bit too much. Several tried to pull off the bone decorations dangling from her sides, which you threatened to steal their candy for. They also fun admiring Charlie, who by this time was of formidable size and quite impressive when he flicked his tail out of the water when annoyed.

They also ooed and awed over your 'costume,' saying you looked like a magic skeleton witch with her spooky cat companion and scary guard dog. You reassured them she only bit bad kids.

That scared a few of them.

A few groups of teenagers showed up, looking ready to cause chaos, but were scared off as Luka bared her teeth, raised her hackles, and growled low in her throat. For those few moments each time, she looked utterly terrifying, in a way. She could be mistaken for one of the monsters. Undyne was impressed.

Undyne showed off how many kids she could flex with, them dangling off her arm. Alphys toned her down when she got too loud. Papyrus and Sans (mostly Papyrus) showed off their abilities, with Papyrus showing off his skeletal biceps, and Sans scaring the kids who scoffed at him with a single look.

It was... fun.

It was fun to have positive attention on you for once. Fun to have kids be surprised when, after Specter fell asleep, something was hiding under your hat. Fun to show off how amazing Luka could be when snagging dog treats out of the air. Fun to be able to hang out with all these different personalities and actually feel like you belonged.

What wasn't fun was the parents. A few of them looking at with scorn, a few looked at you in confusion, a few acted like you weren't there.

What was even worse was the older siblings, bored with having to look after their little brothers or sisters, who were somehow drawn to you. A few of them shot winks your way, a few even asked for your number, which you politely declined, a few gave you their number, which you crumpled up and threw away.

Once, while their siblings were distracted, one of them used the time to try and strike up a conversation.

"So, what do you do?"

"Eh?"

"Where do you work? I'm betting you work at one those high-end fashion shops in the mall."

"Um, no."

"So you're a model, then?"

"N-no."

"Aw, cmon. I don't bite. Unless-"

"hey, bud," Sans said loudly, approaching. "some of the kids want to see Luka do the turn and leap trick. you mind showin' em? she doesn't listen to me." His eyes flashed to the person beside you while he placed a hand on your shoulder.

You highly doubted Luka wouldn't listen to him (while she still mainly took orders from you, this was like her second home), you were thankful for the interruption. "Uh, sure. I'll do that."

You trailed away, getting Luka to do a turn in the air by shouting "Do a twist!" while throwing a treat in the air, then bowing when the kids shouted and clapped. You were particularly proud of that one. When you turned back to your post, where the creep had opted to wait with Sans, they were miraculously gone, which you thanked the heavens for. Sans had said you'd done a good job with the show. You brushed it off and said it was entirely Luka. He just laughed.

Eventually, the 'treaters stopped coming, which was both a relief and slightly disappointing. While it had been fun, it had also been very, very exhausting.

After you got the wrappers on the ground picked up, helped Alphys make sure Charlie was safely inside, and helped Undyne get the table inside, you were waving off the duo at the end of the driveway.

Undyne jabbed a finger to you from the drivers seat. "This one's a keeper for sure!" She chortled, winking the best one could with just one eye.

Alphys smiled at you from her other side. "I-it was nice to meet you... Again!" She laughed nervously. "I hope we can hang out more often."

"Me, too! You guys are a blast!" You smiled, cradling Specter in your arm as you waved. They drove off with Undyne hooting out the window and probably waking up half the neighborhood.

You sighed in relief, trailing over into the grass and flopping down, placing Specter gently on your stomach. He woke briefly, purred, then dozed off again.

Sans joined you after a moment. He and Papyrus had been in charge of un-decorating Luka, who now bounced around, glad to be free of the weight. 

You lay in silence for several long, relaxing moments.

"you did a good job out there, giving those kids a show." Though you'd never admit it, praise from Sans made your heart flutter.

"It was nothing. Luka did all the work." 

He laughed. "yeah, but a circus ain't a show without the lion tamer."

He had a point. "Still." You sighed happily. "By the way, thank you."

"your welcome. what for?"

"Everything, I guess. Specter. Inviting me. Giving me another chance with Undyne and Alphys. Drawing me out of my shell." You smiled. "You know, before I met you, if someone said I'd be happily attending a small Halloween party with my two best friends and 'giving kids a show,' in just a few months time, I'd've said they were insane."

Sans grinned wider out of the corner of your eye. "don't thank me for that. you made it easy after you opened up to me."

"Well, I never would have opened up like that to anyone else, really. So, thanks for, um, being the one to... talk to me. I guess. I'm not good with explaining this." You gestured helplessly. 

Sans had noticed that was a thing you did when you couldn't find the words you wanted. And, in all honestly, he found it kind of cute. Alas, he was too busy wondering if that was a confession to notice you roll to your feet until you extended a hand to him. He grinned and took it.

It was a bit of an effort to get him up.

"Sans, come on! How can a skeleton weigh so much?"

"i'm just big boned."

"I walked into that one."

"yep."

With that done, you dusted yourself off with one hand, kitten tucked into your sweater, then smiled at him tiredly, mind a tad hazy.

"I've gotta head off."

"why not stay the night?" 

Shit was that too desperate 

You laughed. "Sorry, but sleeping on the couch so often is doing a number on my back."

"shit, why didn't you say something?" He was beginning to get flustered. This tended to happen whenever he got tired like this. Especially around you, as of recently.

"It's no big deal, just kind of hurts in the morning. Don't sweat it. Besides, I've got to get Spectie-spoo all situated."

"right, of co- 'Spectie-spoo?'" He looked at you quizzically.

You flushed. The nickname had slipped. "Uh, sorry. Nicknames are sort a thing for me."

"really?"

"Uh, yes?" 

"why don't i have one?" He was a blushing fool and he didn't even care at this point. 

"Um." You blushed further, slightly confused. "I guess your name is just hard to make nicknames for? I mean, I could do Sansy, but that's just stupid." You looked away, rubbing at your cheek in an attempt to make the blush go away.

He laughed. "nah, it's good. let's go with that."

"SANS! STOP FLIRTING WITH THE HUMAN AND ASK THEM IF THEY WANT TO COME TO THE THANKSGIVING DINNER!"

You looked at Sans again. He stiffened, eye lights disappearing. 'Why, Papyrus. We're brothers. Why would you do this. After I trusted you.'

"Thanksgiving dinner?"


	14. The art of Flirting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leftovers from the previous chapter. Completely skippable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on posting this but it's late and my brain to actions filter is pretty much off

"bro"

"YES, SANS?"

"why did you have to say the thing about the flirting"

"BECAUSE THE HUMAN WAS GOING TO LEAVE WITHOUT EVEN BEING INVITED TO THE DINNER PARTY."

"i wasn't flirting though"

"OH. WELL, WHAT WAS THAT, THEN?"

"... okay, maybe it was flirting but you don't just tell people to stop flirting"

"WHY NOT?"

"because... flirting is about being subtle. if you point it out, it ruins it."

"OH. WELL, THEN, I APOLOGIZE."

"no problem." Sans' head met the table. "i don't think they noticed anyway."

"SANS?"

"yeah"

"YOU SAID YOU HAVE DATE-FEELINGS FOR THE HUMAN, CORRECT?"

"pretty sure those weren't my words exactly, but yeah"

"SHOULD I ATTEMPT TO BE A 'WING-SKELETON' AND 'HOOK YOU UP?'" Cue obvious wink. 

Sans flushed. He was debating whether telling Papyrus had been a good idea. "no, i think i'm good."

"WELL, IF YOU EVER CHANGE YOUR MIND, IM RIGHT HERE."

"thanks, Paps."

"AND YOU MADE WONDERFUL PROGRESS TODAY WITH THAT GIFT IN THE FORM OF A CAT!" Cue slap on the back. "YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE DATING MANUAL VERY WELL, BROTHER."

"thanks, Paps." Cue face-table. "but i told you i don't need that."

"NONSENSE." A small book was dropped a few inches from Sans' head. "IT WILL BE MOST HELPFUL. I DO WISH FOR YOU AND THE HUMAN TO GET TOGETHER, YOU KNOW. I WANT YOU BOTH TO BE HAPPY."

"i appreciate it, Paps."

Despite that invigorating pep talk, Sans couldn't help feeling he was in over his head.


	15. A Tale of Dog and Monster: Thanksgiving Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rushed this. It's bad. I apologize.
> 
> //also sorry if there are any typos or missing words I didn't check it very thoroughly lol

You were going to explode.

That's what was going to happen. Boom. That's it.

Apparently, this 'Thanksgiving Dinner' (cough cough party) was going to be have more then just a handful of monsters attending. The queen and king of monsters, Papyrus' crush, the savior of monsters and a handful of others would be there, along with whoever the savior of monsters invited. You wanted to go, since it had been a few years since you'd been to a thanksgiving celebration, but the thought of such a crowd was enough to send your heart pounding. 

"Okay, but... Why would you invite me, of all people? I'm just a nobody compared to all those people. Even to you guys."

Sans had shrugged. "cause we like having you around. besides, you're not a nobody."

"Then what am I? The weirdo that works at the pet shop?" You nibbled on nail and tried not to spontaneously combust in your nervousness. 

"my friend." 

You caught Sans' gaze. It was surprisingly serious, and held yours steadily as you fidgeted uncomfortably.

"if you get nervous or feel uncomfortable, you can stick with me. okay?"

You sighed, running a hand through your hair. "Okay. I'll go."

You regretted saying that.

Several weeks had passed since then, and now it was the day of the party. You had slipped into a fall leaf patterned hoodie and usual large jeans, tugging on your sneakers as you tried to push Luka's concerned nose away.

"I'm sorry, you can't come. We don't know what guests will be there and whether they're fond of dogs or not. I'm sorry, girl." 

Specter, still fluffy as ever, tried his hardest to get in the way of what you were doing, purring loudly. You scooped him up, placing him on one branch of the cat tree you'd recently splurged and gotten for him.

"Not you either, buddy. I may have been able to sneak you with me a few weeks ago, but you're growing too fast." He grunted unhappily.

You grabbed your contribution to the dinner- a pumpkin pie, your grandmother's recipe- and headed for the door. Luka, the stubborn thing she is, tried to squeeze out with you.

"I'll be back in a few hours, I promise!" 

You managed to squeeze the door shut before either of them could get out. With a sigh, you turned to the bright red convertible parked on your driveway. Sans was leaning against the passenger door, looking for all the world like something could've exploded and he wouldn't care. Papyrus waved frantically from behind the wheel.

"ya ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." You sighed, tugging your sleeves down to cover your hands.

Sans opened the door for you and you slipped into the back seat. "hey, relax. you'll be fine. ... you sure you don't wanna sit up front?" He gestured to the seat, hesitating.

"No, I don't want to make you sit back here."

Sans looked ready to say something but quickly shut himself up, sliding into the seat. "since you insist."

"ARE YOU READY, HUMAN?" Papyrus was as excitable as ever.

You click your seatbelt into place. "Yeah."

With that, he practically floored it out onto the road. 

 

By the time you arrived at the very ordinary looking home, you were gripping at your seatbelt for dear life. Papyrus was not exactly a driver for the faint of heart.

He practically leaped out of the car and charged for the door, and waited there impatiently for you and Sans. Sans opened the door for you again, and grabbed your shoulder as you slid out.

"you sure?" He whispered out, searching your face. It made you feel better to know he was looking out for you.

It also made you blush.

"I'm here, I might as well go in." You laughed uncertainly and he just nodded slightly.

"you ever wanna go home, just let me know."

"Okay. Thank you." As he slid his hand off your shoulder, you grabbed it and gave it a small squeeze. He flashed you a smile, then led the way to the door.

You clutched your pie nervously as Papyrus vigorously knocked.

A tall, soft looking goat(?) woman answered the door, dressed in a long turtlenecked dress. She radiated a sense of calm, which increased as she smiled fondly at the two brothers.

"Papyrus, Sans." She said softly, extending her arms. "I'm so glad you could make it." 

Papyrus gave her a brisk hug, then dashed inside. Rather then be insulted, the tall woman chuckled.

"heya, Tori." Sans smiled at her crookedly, quickly returning the hug she gave. "it's good to see ya again."

"And you as well, Sans." 'Tori' said softly, pulling herself to her full height again. If this was Toriel, then she must be...

The queen of monsters?!

You subconsciously shrank a step back, hunching your shoulders and bringing your pie closer. It was then she seemed to notice you.

"Is this the ______ I've heard so much about?" She said, seeming to tease Sans. He might have turned a little bluer.

"sure is. this is Toriel, queen of monster." You dipped your head nervously as she let you inside.

Toriel laughed. "Oh, please, Sans. You know I've dropped that title." She smiled at you kindly. "Please, just think of as Frisk's mother."

Mother? Who was Frisk? The name was familiar, but....

"Frisk, my child!" Toriel called into the house. "Will you take our guests pie to the serving table?"

A small child- seven or eight at the most- came running around the corner, hair flying wildly around. They beamed at you, signed something, then took the pie and dashed off again. You blinked after them.

"they said hi and nice to meet you." Sans translated, chuckling. "that's the savior of monsters."

"That's them?!" You whispered our, heart lunging into your throat. "They're just a kid!"

Sans shrugged, heading towards the source of a faint murmur of sound. The hall opened up into a large living room, where several monster were standing idly around, chatting with each other. One of them, seated comfortably in a love seat, waved to Sans. He waved back, grinning and walking over.

You stayed where you were, watching in awe as Sans conversed comfortably with the man made of flame. Papyrus was animatedly chatting with another large goat monster, this one with a fluffy beard and broader shoulders than Toriel. You could hear his deep, booming chuckle from across the room. A sleek, and fairly familiar, robot rounded the corner and flagged Papyrus down, greeting him with a kiss to each cheek. Papyrus could have melted in that moment and you wouldn't have been surprised.

On one of the side tables sat a very unhappy looking flower in a pot. It reminded you of Charlie.

Watching them all interact, you felt you were in way, way over you head.

Frisk came dashing from another room- what you assumed to be the kitchen- another familiar, short, yellow monster racing right behind them. The monster kid tripped once, but seemed to jump right back up like they were made of rubber.

Frisk jumped into the tall bearded monsters arms, signing happily to him. He murmured something, smiling at them fondly. Eventually, Frisk pointed in your direction.

You shrank back into the shadows of the doorway, wishing you could disappear. 

The tall figure chuckled, smiled at you, then turned back to the energetic child in his arms.

You slunk around the room, avoiding eye contact, and disappeared into a secluded hallway. Ah, yes, there at the end- a kitchen. You dived in that direction.

Inside the large, cozy kitchen, the chatter of the party-goers was a quiet murmur again. Toriel was placing food on a long table, humming to herself quietly. You stood there awkwardly for a few moments before speaking up.

"Do you... need any help?"

She looked up in surprise. "No, I'm quite fine, dear. Go and have fun with the others." She nodded down the hall, then turned back to the table.

You shuffled your feet, then went back into the hallway. You stayed there for a long while, then the front door slammed open and Undyne's unmistakable voice greeted all 'dorks currently present.' You could just hear Alphys' quieter voice greeting everyone.

You wandered out from the hallway and stood vacantly in the archway, watching everyone again. Undyne, chatting with the bearded monster, caught your eye and waved you over. You hesitated, then hunched your shoulders and headed over.

"Hey, punk! How's it going?! I was just talking about you!" She ruffled your hair. "This is king Asgore, my personal trainer!"

"Greetings, human." His voice, though low and soft, was still intimidating.

"Er, hi."

"Where's your totally cool dog at?!"

"I didn't know if everyone would be okay with having a dog here, so..."

"Darn! I was looking forward to showing her off again!" With that, she turned back to the enormous figure of Asgore and seemed to forget you existed.

You shuffled into a corner, trying to hide.

This was a bad idea, everyone was going to think you were stuck up or hated monsters, why did you even agree to come, this was a bad, bad idea-

"H-hey, you okay?" 

You jumped, snapping back to reality to see Alphys looking at you concernedly. 

"Y-yeah. Just... not one for parties."

She nodded, though still looked concerned. "I-I thought you would be with...?"

"Sans or Papyrus?" You shuffled your feet, sighing. "That was the plan, but they were occupied and I didn't want to just be creeping around their conversations with old friends."

She nodded again. "I-I know it can be a bit much. I was thinking you wouldn't come. I'm glad you did, though. It's nice to see you here."

"Thanks. Hey, I think Undyne wants you." 

Looking up, she quickly scurried off to her girlfriend, leaving you alone again. 

You ran a hand through your hair. This was going to be a long night.

"hey, pal. you doing okay?" 

Sans seemed to suddenly appear at your side. You nearly yelped.

"Y-yes. Alphys just checked on me." You laughed slightly.

He winced. "sorry for ditching you like that."

"It's fine."

"no, it's not." He sighed. "it was stupid and idiotic of me." Looking you in the eye, he smiled again. "c'mon, I've got a pal i want you to meet."

He proceeded to introduce you to the flame man- Grillby, you learned- who was working on building a monster based restaurant above ground, and a handful of other monsters who drifted in as the time went gradually by. Everyone was welcome to go and grab something to eat whenever they liked, and within a few minutes of that announcement, everyone had grabbed something.

Except you. You were too nervous to eat.

You began to notice the relationships between all the monsters- Toriel and Asgore were not on the best of terms, though Asgore seemed to have a school boy crush on her; Undyne, Alphys and Asgore all seemed to get along fairly well together; no one seemed to like 'Jerry;' Frisk was friends with everyone.

So on and so on.

It made you feel... very intrusive. Out of place.

You stuck near Sans the rest of the time, though kept your distance whenever he was talking with someone unless he nodded you over. He was chatting with some monster who's name you couldn't remember when you caught some monsters eye.

It was some sleazy looking seahorse, who you'd been avoiding all night if only for the fact that he really needed to put a shirt on and it made you uncomfortable. He grinned, flexed, and shot a wink your way.

Unused to the attention, you flinched away and gripped one of Sans' sleeves on instinct. He looked at you in surprise, but something about the look on your face must've said it all.

"hey, can i see you hand?" He held out his hand, palm up.

"Um, o-okay." You hesitantly put your hand in his. 

He seemed to examine it for a second, flipping it over and checking between your fingers, before slipping it into his and nodding.

"that's better."

You were somewhat confused with the method of comfort, but went along with it.

After a little while, you realized he didn't intend to let go for a while. At one point, he walked with you across the room, hand in hand. You caught Undyne's eye. She arched an eyebrow at you. You just shrugged confusedly. She laughed, then whispered something to Alphys. Alphys looked over and giggled into her hands.

You looked away.

Sans eventually struck up a conversation with Toriel, and, for some reason, it made you uncomfortable.

They were very... cozy with each other. Sans laughed with her in a way he never laughed with you; looked at her in a way that made your gut turn over. He seemed to enjoy himself immensely in her company. Likewise could be said with her.

You gently slid your hand out of his grasp and he glanced at you in surprise.

"Just getting some fresh air." You whispered, then headed for the back door. He didn't seem to notice how bothered you were.

You sat on the back steps, placing your head in your hands as you contemplated your relationship with Sans. He was very supportive, that was true, giving you a hand in any awkward situation (which could be taken literally), but...

You were torn from your thoughts from a loud sigh beside you. Sitting there was the increasingly unhappy yellow flower from before, frowning at you.

"If you want to pout, go and do it somewhere else." It huffed, turning away the best it could.

For some reason, it didn't bother you. "What's your name?"

It sneered, turning it head upside down and showing its teeth to you. "I'm Flowey the flower! How wonderful to meet you!" Sarcasm dripped from the words. "Now go away."

"I'm ________. It's nice to meet you."

It huffed.

"You remind me of someone I know." For some reason, it felt nice to talk to him. It. Whatever this thing was.

"Oh, they must be a joy to be around!" More sarcasm. He was lashing out because he was unhappy.

"He's one of my best friends." You smiled gently at the flower, who looked at you in disbelief.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Papyrus' too." He growled.

"Listen, if you're having yourself a laugh, you can feel free to leave now." 

"Are you Frisk's friend?" You didn't know why you were trying so hard. 

"No! More like they just like to see me suffer!"

"I doubt that."

"And what would you know?!"

"I know you're only angry because you don't know how else to reach out."

That shut him up.

"Whatever's happened to you to make you so unhappy, I'm sorry."

"Go away!" He nearly shouted, looking increasingly mad.

"Can I touch your petals? Would that be okay?"

He looked at you quizzically. "Why even ask?"

"I don't want to do something that will make you even more unhappy." 

He huffed and turned away.

You reached out and gently brushed a petal. They were thick and floppy, more like dog ears then actual petals. He didn't slap you away. He just sat there. You retracted your hand and stood.

"Would you like to come back inside?"

"No."

"Okay." You opened the door, looked back. "I hope things get better for you soon."

Silence.

You went inside. Sans was hunched over near the door, arms crossed, trying to look casual and utterly failing.

"he didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Flowey? No. He was fine. Just unhappy." You blinked at him, surprised. "He's not that bad, really. All bark and no bite."

Sans ground his teeth. "you shouldn't be so slack to strangers, pal. come on." He led the way to the living room, and you, wondering what that was about, followed after.

He trailed away to talk to Papyrus and Mettaton, looking ready to kill. You sat hesitantly on the couch, not wanting to anger him further.

After a few moments, Frisk walked over and plopped themselves into your lap, holding a small whiteboard.

You blinked, then smiled. "Hey there, kiddo. What's up?"

They scribbled on the whiteboard, then held it up. 'You're ______, right?'

"The one and only."

They giggled, erased the board, and scribbled again. 'Uncle Sans talks about you a lot.' 

You raised your eyebrows, looking at Sans over their shoulder, who had glanced up in curiosity, seemingly mellow again. "Uncle Sans, huh?" You grinned.

'Yeah. I like you too.'

You smiled at them. "Well, thank you."

'Papyrus says you're an animal whisperer.'

You laughed. "Not quite. I'm just better with them than with people."

'He also says you have a dog and a kitty.'

"Sure do."

They hesitated, then held up the board shyly. 'Can I meet them some day?'

You gasped, feigning offense. "What an absurd proposal! I can't believe this, kids these days!" You huffed, then grinned as they wilted. "Of course. I bet they'd love you." They bounced slightly in your lap as Sans came up.

"hey there, boss. what you up to?" 

"Oh, you know, planning world domination, nothing new." They nodded, grinning casually. Sans chuckled, taking a seat. 

"So, Uncle Sans," you drawled, feeling very accomplished as he flushed bright blue, "you talk about me?" Sweat beaded on his brow. 

You basked in his embarrassment. It was glorious.

"what, you mean you don't talk about me? i'm hurt." He tried to seem mellow. 

"Aw, Sansy, you know I think highly of you." You teased, grinning as he flushed brighter. Frisk giggled, then wrote on the board,

'Sansy?'

Sans looked ready to melt as Papyrus came up, looking tired. "SANS, I DO BELIEVE ITS TIME WE HEAD HOME. THE HUMAN HAS WORK TOMORROW."

Sans jumped to his feet faster than you had seen him move in quite some time. "right, let's go." He hurried towards the door, leaving you to stretch and trail slowly behind.

"You're a riot, kiddo. You can come by and hang out any time you want." You flashed Frisk a smile. They clapped happily, then raced up to Toriel and signed hastily.

Toriel walked you to the door, chuckling. "Frisk tells me you would be willing to watch them some time. Is this true?"

You smiled. "Of course."

Toriel nodded warmly to you. "I see the boys have made a good friend." Something about the way she said it made you flustered.

"Ha ha, I guess. Thank you, for having me."

"Any time, dear. Take good care of the boys." She waved from the door as you defended the steps of the house. You waved back.

"Of course!"

"Goodbye, Papyrus, Sans. Have a nice night." 

"sure thing, Tori."

"OF COURSE, YOUR MAJESTY!"

You hopped into the back seat, holding back a laugh as Sans slid into the passenger seat, still slightly blue.

"DID YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME, HUMAN?"

"Sure did, Pap. Did you?"

He beamed. "INDEED!"

"And you, Sans?"

"uh, sure." 

The ride to your house was quiet, but comfortable. Sans walked you to the door. You stood awkwardly together for a moment.

"Thank you for inviting me."

"any time. you should consider coming to our Christmas party."

You laughed tiredly. "I'll consider."

"have a nice night, bud."

"You too."

"also, be careful around that weed. i don't want you getting hurt. take care of yourself." With that, Sans shuffled back to the car, leaving you confused and alone on your porch.


	16. Repent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> re·pent
> 
> verb
> 
> feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning.

More like early afternoon, really, but you get the point. About a week or so had passed since the Thanksgiving dinner- giving you plenty of chances to see Frisk, Undyne and Alphys again, even if it was at the pet shop. You had grown steadily closer to them, and Frisk loved Specter and Luka.

Of course, they loved them too.

You had taken Luka for a walk to the park- chilly weather was setting in fast and, no matter how much you enjoyed it, soon it would be too cold to comfortably visit the small area.

She had been playing catch with a few monster kids, snagging a frisbee out of the air like a pro. Eventually, they had left.

For a few minutes, you just sat with her and enjoyed the view. The leaves had either fallen or turned wonderful shades of red, yellow, or orange, casting beautiful reflections across the water and filling the air with the smell of fall. Finally, no one would ask why you were wearing a hoodie all the time; it was cool enough to warrant one.

It was nice. Calm. Quiet. The park was empty.

No, it wasn't. 

There, to the right- a group of big, burly men, vaguely familiar. They were shuffling down a path, and one of them caught sight of you. He tried to subtly point you out to the others. They started slowly, casually in your direction.

Bending down, you casually unhooked Luka's leash again.

Wait a few moments. Roll up the leash. Closer, closer, they drew.

"Run for it!" You hollered to Luka, springing to your feet and dashing for the exit. She instantly understood, running just ahead of you. Behind you, the thumping of footsteps. 

It was the same group of men who'd tried to stuff Monster Kid into a rabbit cage. They'd come back often after the event, always fleeing with their tails between their legs when your manager appeared. 

And now that you were alone, they wanted to take it out on you.

Your lungs burned, feet slapping the pavement loudly. You were never much of an athletic person.

You passed the main entrance to neighborhood; yes, good, take the back route and confuse them.

On and on, then a sharp left.

They were slowly gaining, though the distance between was still formidable.

Down, down, down the street. Almost tripped. Staggered, kept running. Lungs screaming.

Suddenly, Luka swerved to cross the street. Wasn't your house...?

You couldn't run anymore. Had to stop.

You paused on the opposite side of the road from Luka, gasping for air. You could hear the men, still a little ways behind.

Luka noticed your stall and turned to make sure you didn't lose her. She started across the street, looking frantic.

A car, turning sharply around the corner, going too quickly, couldn't stop in time.

You watched in horror as a sharp cry split the air, but got quickly cut off as Luka rolled a few feet before stopping. Something crimson spattered across the pavement.

The car slowed slightly, then sped on.

Luka lay ominously still.

By the time the group surrounded you like wolves, they were too late; you were already numb.

 

Your ears were ringing and had been for while when the group backed away to admire their work. You were aware of pain, but it was faint, like it belonged to someone else, very, very far away. You had started crying at some point, silently. Or at least you couldn't hear it. You only stared at the other crumpled body on the other side of the road, which still had yet to move.

You willed it to twitch. To cry out. To do something, anything.

But nothing came.

From somewhere deep inside, there was a small sound, like slowly breaking glass.

The group scattered like a herd of deer when the house on the other side of the road opened. The shape was blurry at first, but you eventually recognized Papyrus. 

She had been heading for Sans' house, not yours.

Papyrus was looking down at something in his hands- misplaced mail, probably- before he glanced up. He seemed to gasp when saw the crumpled, furry body on the side of the road, and turned to shout something into the house. Then, as his eyes scanned the street for signs of a villain, he made eye contact with you.

He seemed to shout frantically into the house before rushing for the street. Sans appeared at the doorway very suddenly, looking terrified. He looked frantically around before his eyes rested upon Luka, then upon you.

He was at your side in a flash, saying something over his shoulder. Papyrus faltered, then turned to Luka. Sans then turned to you, crouching. Upon focusing on his sneakers, you realized you, at some point, had started bleeding. His eye sockets were wide and scared as frowned down at you.

His hands ghosted over you, gently brushing your hair from your face, prodding at places that made you suck in a breath. It took you a moment to realize he was speaking. Didn't matter. You could barely hear him anyway.

That sound came again. A tiny, crackling noise.

Panic flashed in Sans' eyes. He slipped his arms under you, then slowly lifted you. You subconsciously clenched your teeth against pain you couldn't feel.

From here, you could see Papyrus, Luka's body cradled limply in his arms.

The sound again.

Faintly, you heard Sans' voice over the ringing.

"don't you dare die on me. Pap, do you know where the nearest hospital is?"

Murmuring from Papyrus. He sounded terrified. Looking up, you saw he was switching from looking at you to Luka to Sans. He looked scared out of his wits.

"there should be a veterinary hospital just down the street from the pet shop. take her there. as fast as you can. i'll take ________. go!"

Papyrus dashed off, back to his car. He slid Luka into the passenger seat gingerly. 

She still hadn't moved.

More distinctly, the crackling.

Sans looked down at you, his eye flashing blue and yellow again. "don't even think about it. stay with me, bud. we're getting you to the hospital. they'll fix you up good as new. you'll be fine."

Crackling. 

A sudden lurch, and your surroundings changed. You let out a garbled noise. You realized you could taste blood.

"stay with me, pal. you'll be fine. stay awake."

Darkness, slowly surrounding you, pushing down on you like water.

"stay awake!" 

A jarring sensation. He had just shoved a door open. The chatter of people. It rose sharply as he turned to the face the inside of whatever building he had taken you to. Glaring white walls. Antiseptic. A hospital.

The darkness, creeping ever closer, gently pushing you down, down, down.

"stay awake, you hear me?!"

He sounded almost angry. Panicked. Scared. He was crying. You wanted to wipe the tears away. Your hand twitched and you winced. It would be so much easier to sink into that inviting darkness...

"please, stay awake!" 

The feeling of rushing down a hallway.

Then darkness.


	17. Consternation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [REDACTED]

Dark, darker, yet darker.

The shadows cut deeper.

You woke in that darkness.

You tried to touch something.

But nothing came.

You tried to speak.

But nothing came.

You tried to wake up.

But nothing came.

You called for help.

You didn't expect anyone,

But Somebody came.

 

When you opened your eyes again, you were in an indigo hallway. Before you, a gray door. 

You have a feeling you shouldn't be here. 

The door opens, and taking up the entirety of the opening was a large, black figure with a white face. It felt faintly familiar. 

It stood well over your head- taller even than Papyrus, but with little stability. Actually, it reminded you of Papyrus, in a way. Sans, too. It, at the very least, appeared to be a skeleton, though badly damaged. Too cracks oozed from its eye sockets, one trailing over to the back of its skull, the other trickling down to the corner of its gently smiling mouth.

Oddly, you weren't scared. It was a comforting presence.

With disembodied hands, it waved you inside, moving away to make room. You stepped into the pale room, nodding to him as you did. He just smiled again, closing the door.

He- [REDACTED], your memory told you- moved to the center of the room and gestured you closer, extending his hands in the universal sign for a hug. You hesitated, then went forward into the embrace.

Beneath the odd, shifting exterior, [REDACTED] was very satisfying to hug. 

He returned the hug gently, saying something in a language you didn't understand. It was vaguely musical, and you sighed gently into him, lulled into security.

Eventually, he pulled away and suddenly looked very excited.

He drew a shape in the air, and in the space between formed a pale blue, cartoonish heart. It felt vaguely familiar. He drew another, and this one formed a deep, indigo heart. It felt very, very familiar. It also felt precious. Something to be protected.

He gently cradled the two in his palms (the best one could with no palms), and pushed them closer, almost touching. He then let them hang there, clasping his hands together, seemingly beaming at you.

You looked at the two, small hearts floating gently beside each other, then at him. He just nodded slightly, smiling, before waving a hand over them. They disappeared, small blue and indigo particles floating gently away to dissolve on the floor.

He looked at you fondly for a moment before snapping his fingers with a start, as if remembering something. He looked at you sadly, pointed at your chest, then drew another indigo heart.

This one looked... broken. It was crackled around the edges, and down the center, going inside to out, was a spider web of deep cracks. He looked at it sadly, then gently waved it away before drawing another heart.

This one was a rich amber color, almost glowing, like the flame of a candle, comforting and strong all at once. This one had a chip taken out of one of the curves at the top of the shape, but despite that, it looked almost bright and healthy. It beat steadily, pulsating with light.

He grabbed it gently, then, sweeping the hand it was held in a wide arch, out from behind him appeared someone familiar, almost like a magic trick.

Luka looked up at [REDACTED] curiously, wagging slowly, before turning and seeing you. She leapt forward and crushed herself against you, licking your hands and arms and, when you finally fell to your knees, your face. 

You cradled her head in your hands, tears pooling from your eyes and falling onto her legs, braced against your thighs. You buried your head into her fur, sobbing like a child.

Eventually, you looked back up to [REDACTED], who was looking very solemn, but smiled at you anyway.

Since your voice seemed to fail you, you simply mouthed out "Thank you." 

He just nodded, then 'knelt' (the best one could without knees) beside you. He gently took your shoulders and lowered you into a laying position, using his 'lap' as a pillow. You felt comfortable, cradled by his hands, Luka tucked into your side.

You let out a long breath.

You drifted into nothingness as his hands gently threaded through your hair, him humming a familiar tune.

_____________________________________________

Beep

...

Beep

...

Beep

...

You woke slowly, quickly drawing in a deep breath. Whatever that beeping was, it was annoying. It gradually sped up as you pulled yourself awake, almost like pulling yourself above water. It was a painfully slow process.

At first, you couldn't see much; it felt like a strong light was glaring directly into your eye sockets.

As your vision gradually adjusted, you tried to lift a hand to rub your face, but at the same time something snagged your finger.

You glanced groggily down at your hands. The pointer finger of your non-dominate hand had a clip of some sort attached to it, with a thin wire running away to somewhere to your left. Something like an IV was stuck under a bandaid on the same wrist. Your dominate hand was wrapped in an awkward cast, which explained why the skin felt trapped and prickly.

"oh my god, you're awake."

An awestruck voice pulled your gaze slowly away from your hands and up to the rest of the room. Papyrus, would seemed to have been pacing beside a window, was now staring at you in shock. Sans was sitting in a chair nearby, looking at you in some odd mix of relief and disbelief. He was hunched over, hands poised half way up, as if he'd been cradling his skull between his palms in distress.

You blinked at them. You would have asked about ten hundred questions, but your tongue felt awkward and heavy, the inside of your mouth dry and pasty. You raised a hand to wave, but it felt awkward and tiring. 

Something was nagging at the back of your mind. Like there was a hole in your memory. You were forgetting something.

Sans came rushing to the bedside, nearly tripping over his own feet. He grabbed at your good hand, frantically searching your face. "how are you feeling? are you okay? geez, bud, you gave me a scare. i thought you weren't..." He drew a deep breath, closing his eyes. You realized it looked like he'd been crying and hadn't been sleeping. 

Wait, he'd asked you something.

"Um... Water?" You ended up saying lamely, intent on soothing your dry throat before answering questions.

"oh, right, of course." Sans staggered to his feet again, looking frantically around in the cabinets over a sink before pulling out a paper cup and filling it. He came rushing back, almost spilling it twice. 

You downed the cup slowly, letting out a sigh of relief when you were done.

"Human, you have no idea how happy we are that you're awake." Papyrus was now at the end of the bed, wringing his hands. 

You were shaking off the last of your haziness. "How long was I sleeping?" Your voice was still hoarse, but it didn't hurt so much to talk.

"three days." Sans said bluntly, watching you carefully, as if you'd break at any moment.

You sucked in a breath. "What...?"

Sans reached for you again, though this time he cradled the casted one with care. He ran his fingers up the cast from the palm to midway up your arm. "they broke your wrist, fracturing two of your metacarpus' in the process." He then ran a hand along the edge of the bed to your side and hovered his fingers over your side, above your ribs. "fractured two ribs," he slid his hands down further, stopping midway between your hip and your ribs, "caused some internal bleeding, which they had to... open you up to fix. it'll scar. minor concussion. fractured some bones in your right ankle. you'll have to be on crutches until the brace is off, or, if it still hurts, until it doesn't hurt to walk without them." He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. His voice had begun to shake halfway through, and one glance in his direction told you he was both furious and very, very concerned.

"Wow." Was all you could think to say. Running your fingers down your side, you found stitches there and winced. He gently pulled your hand away. You realized you ached all over.

"You're very lucky that Sans got you here so quickly. If he hadn't..." Papyrus trailed off and started pacing again.

"hey, Pap. why don't you call Alphys and tell her they're up? i know she was concerned and she ought to know."

Papyrus, glad for the distraction, pulled out his phone and wandered to the corner of the room, talking quietly into the phone when someone picked up. 

Sans was still watching you closely. "the police found the group that did this to you." He growled, left eye flickering dangerously. "i wish i had taken care of them myself." Deep breath. "do you remember what happened? they were asking us if we saw, so they're going to ask you, too."

You tried to recollect your thoughts, mind threatening to doze off again. "Um." You racked your brain. "Luka and I were in the park-" Something clicked into place.

Your heartbeat spiked, the beeping getting louder. 

"Oh my god! Sans, Luka, is she, did you-?" You struck out with your hands, good one gripping onto one of his sharply.

"hey, deep breaths, calm down, in, out." He tried to soothe you. A feeling of impending doom was creeping up your spine as Papyrus put his phone away and turned to the scene.

"Please, tell me she isn't..." The words died in your throat. You just looked at them pleadingly.

They exchanged a glance.

"i'll tell you the truth, pal." Sans looked hesitant, speaking softly. "she's in rough shape."

You sucked in a breath. You knew what that meant. You'd heard it enough times, it was what you'd heard about Dusty and Tumble, it was the one thing you didn't want to hear-

'She's going to die.'

Your heartbeat shot up further, the beeping now accompanied by a red blinking light. Your hands found your face, attempting to rake through your hair and gouge your cheeks despite the obstacles in their way.

Sans, eyes darting to the heart monitor behind you, looked slightly panicked as his hands found yours, pulling them away, and he tried to divert your attention away from your distress.

"they're watching over her in the animal hospital, making sure she doesn't get worse." His voice was slightly calming, even if it was anxious sounding itself. You could hear someone hurriedly coming down the hall. "she... the car busted up her left front leg pretty badly. it wasn't worth trying to salvage. it's... it's been amputated. other then that, she's got a few bruised ribs, but she'll pull through, okay? i... i promise she will. i'll make sure of it. she'll be good as new."

"Oh my god, sans. Oh my god." You gasped out, choking on the words. You were crying, and, despite his somewhat (not at all) comforting words, you couldn't stop, not even as a nurse burst into the room, looking worried. She came to the bedside and began hurried checking the drip, your IV lines, and giving you a brisk looking over before focusing on your face.

"Alright, deep breaths. Take a breath in... Alright, now out... In.... Out... See, just like that. You're fine. You've got all your fingers, you've got all your toes. You're fine, sweetie." 

You focused on your breaths, then on making sure all of you was there. At some point during this, Sans had backed away, joining Papyrus near the window.

"Alright, honey, that's good, you're doing great. How are you feeling?" 

"Um." You tried to conjure up a thought. "Foot hurts, but mostly I'm just worried about my dog." You laughed weakly. She just nodded sympathetically, rolling up the blanket to check on the brace covering the majority of your right ankle. 

"Little bit of swelling, but it's looking a lot better. I'll give you some painkillers and I'll be on my way, okay? It looks like you all have a lot to talk about." She flashed a look to the skelebros by the window before disappearing into the hall briefly, then reappearing with a tiny cup containing two small pills. After downing the pills in a fresh cup of water, you thanked her and she left, reminding you to press one of the buttons on the bed if you needed anything.

You took a deep breath, then looked over to the boys. Wiping away tears, you smiled weakly. Judging from the looks on their faces, it was not at all convincing. "I'm okay. Mostly. Kind of. Not at all."

Sans took a step closer, then hesitated. "i'm sorry." He said eventually. "if i'd... been more vigilant, this wouldn't have happened."

"It's not your fault. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was a stupid, stupid idiot." You sighed, running a hand over your face. "... Do they know when she'll be able to come home?" Might as well pretend to be optimistic, though your heart was screaming in anguish.

Papyrus looked at Sans, seemingly questioning him. Sans hesitated for several moments before answering, "around Christmas, i think."

You sighed tiredly, trying to get the tears to stop. You covered your face with your arms, leaning back into the pillows.

"Alright. Okay. I'm okay. I'm sorry. For worrying you. If I wasn't so stupid..."

Sans was pulling your hands away before you could finish, looking almost angry. "no. don't say that. it was not your fault." 

You just shook your head. You were still crying and your breath came in big shudders.

He pulled a chair over with a wave of his hand and sat beside you. He cradled your good hand in his, studying you sadly. "everything will be okay. you'll be staying with us until you're better. don't worry about work; your boss is letting you have time off until you're well enough to come back." He stroked your hand slowly, trying to sooth you. 

Whatever was in the painkillers was making you groggy.

"I'm sorry."

"don't be. everything will be fine. i promise." He leaned forward, brushing his teeth to your temple. It only took a moment for you to realize it was an imitation kiss. You were too tired to get flustered.

"Feel free to sleep, human. We'll be here when you wake up." That was Papyrus.

Sans nodded. "everyone who cares about you will be here whenever you need us. okay?"

You sighed, slipping into darkness. "Okay."

But you weren't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luka lives!! (At least for now ;0)
> 
> No, that's not me putting a bandaid on the situation so no one would behead me. It's all to plan.
> 
> Also reader got pretty fucked up.


	18. Returning 'Home'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader returns to a home that is not their own.

Two days had passed since you first woke up. A doctor had been there to inform you of your injuries and the recovery times and side affects. Sans had been right; your side would scar, along with a few cuts and scrapes you had gotten, presumably from grating against the pavement. 

It seemed they were finally willing to let you go home.The doctor had given to you several bottles of pills and two bottles of ointment; pills to kill pain and sooth whatever inner injuries remained, ointment for the line of stitches to make sure it wouldn't get infected. They warned you not to exert yourself, and, if you did, sit down as soon as you grew dizzy. They also provided a wheelchair (which you immediately abhorred) and a pair of crutches, demanding that you use them until all pain was gone from your ankle for fear of making it worse. You just nodded, though you hated being so restricted, like a wild bird suddenly trapped in a cage.

Undyne and Alphys had arrived a few hours after you'd first fallen asleep and promptly woken you up by slamming the door open. They gushed over you, saying how strong you were, expressing their sympathy for Luka, though casting odd looks at Sans as they did so, and Undyne told you your scars would be totally amazing (her words, not yours).

Now, you were supposed to go home. Except, despite you telling him you could manage on your own, Sans insisted you stay with him and Papyrus. He'd already set up the spare, empty room for you, even bringing all of Specter's things over as well. Despite your increasing emotional numb, you felt guilt roll in your gut. You would be dead weight.

As you sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for the nurse to finish her last check up and give you the a-okay to leave, you were all too aware of the four pairs of eyes on you. As soon as the nurse stepped back, Sans moved forward to your side, holding your crutches.

"are you sure you don't want to use the wheelchair?"

"Pretty sure." You snorted out bitterly. As much as you loved them as a kid, the thought of sitting in one now was enough to make your skin crawl.

He just nodded, looking unconvinced. 

"Alright, looks like you're set to go!" The nurse flashed you a smile, made sure you had all your medicine, then helped you position yourself onto your crutches.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." You huffed, balancing awkwardly as you stood. Sans was hovering almost uncomfortably close. 

You, closely followed by the quadric gang, hobbled out the door and into the hallway. It was kind of hard to use the crutches when one of your hands was tightly casted, but you managed, getting praise from Undyne and Papyrus.

In the parking lot was an unfamiliar, large van. You paused and studied it for a moment before Sans urged you forward. Papyrus jumped into the backseats, soon taking your crutches; Undyne and Alphys sat up front with Undyne at the wheel (lord save you), and you and Sans ended up sitting side by side in the respective 'middle' of the car.

"feeling okay?" Sans had asked that a lot recently.

You sighed. "It'll be... nice to return to a familiar environment. I'm looking forward to seeing Specter again." The words sounded hollow, even to you.

Sans snapped his fingers as if remembering something (which felt oddly familiar), before reaching into his hoodie and pulling out a picture frame just as Undyne spoke up.

"Are dorks currently present buckled up?!"

"Yeah" came the chorus, with Papyrus sounding the most enthusiastic. He, apparently, was very much looking forward to having a housemate and was continually bouncing in his seat, practically shaking the entire van.

"All right, good, now hold onto your hats and get ready for the safest ride of your life, nerds!" Undyne growled out, then proceeded to floor it out of the parking lot.

As you tried to calm your hammering heart, Sans passed something to you. Grabbing it awkwardly in your casted hand (this would take some getting used to, you thought tiredly), you realized it was a wrapped picture frame.

Upon unravelling the hastily taped down tissue paper, you started to cry.

It was a picture you had never seen before of you, Luka and Specter, all lying in the grass, shoulder to shoulder. You were laughing, Luka's mouth was hanging open in a smile, and Specter was stretching out beside you happily. 

"remember that time a few weeks ago we all a picnic in our backyard? shit, sorry, don't cry-"

You did remember. It had been very fun. There had been a spaghetti showdown between Undyne and Papyrus, with Alphys as 'referee.' You'd nearly gotten covered in the stuff yourself; the two had started chucking balls of spaghetti at each other after you mentioned one way to test if it was done cooking or not was to throw it at a wall. 

Afterwards, you, Luka and Specter had all gotten into a lighthearted tussle that left you breathless and laughing. You thought you even remembered when the picture might have been taken- you had laid in the grass with them for several moments before opening your eyes to see Sans standing over you, holding out a hand to help you up.

It had been a wonderful day.

"Sans, if you're making my bestie cry back there, I'll punch you into next Tuesday!" Undyne barked out. Sweat beaded on Sans' brow.

"No, no," you sputtered out, wiping away tears, "I-I'm okay. I just..." 

You might never have a day like that with Luka again. 

Alphys peered over her glasses into the backseat worriedly. You waved her away, then turned to Sans. He was staring at you worriedly.

"... Thank you." It was all you could think to say. It was apparently all you needed as he grabbed your hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. You heaved a deep breath and tried to calm down, tears soaking a bandage for a scrape on your cheek you hadn't realized was there. You reached up to wipe them away again when someone else's hand beat you to it.

Sans carefully swabbed the tears up with the his sleeve, holding you steady with his other hand beneath your chin. When he pulled away and seemed to realize what he'd done, he flushed and buried himself in the excess fluff of his hood and muttered out some sort of apology. You just shook your head, crushing down your own blush.

At some point on the car ride, between Undyne and Papyrus' enthusiastic chatter, you dozed off, clutching the picture frame.

 

You woke up as you passed the local animal hospital and watched it pass by wistfully.

"Are you sure I can't see her?"

Sans averted his gaze. "don't want to tire you out. you might get sick. you've got enough to do today, besides, they only let us see her briefly yesterday." 

You could only sigh and nod. It wasn't worth trying to argue.

When Undyne pulled up in front of the skeletons' home, you were about to abject and say you still needed to grab your things from your own house when Sans beat you to it.

"don't worry, we got all you'll need already." He then slid out and seemed to appear beside your door, pulling it open for you. He grabbed your crutches from Papyrus, holding them steady for you as you slid uneasily out of the van. He backed away reluctantly as you steadied yourself.

Undyne, carrying your bag of medicine, opened the door to the house for you. While it was a kind gesture, you were beginning to feel smothered. You didn't say anything, hopping into the house awkwardly, focusing on where to put your crutches without tipping shit over.

What you weren't expecting was for the light in the living room to flick on and for a small chorus of 'Welcome home!' to greet you. Looking up, you were surprised to see Toriel, Frisk (holding Flowey snuggly above their head), and your boss standing there.

It was Toriel who approached first, with Frisk close behind. Your boss hung back as she smiled warmly at you.

"We are very proud of you, dear. Frisk and I made you a pie to welcome you back." She waved a hand in the direction of the kitchen.

You laughed, touched. "Geez, you make it sound like I came back from war."

She just squeezed your shoulder gently before urging Frisk closer. Frisk scampered up to you, then seemed to wait. When nothing happened, they made a noise. Flowey sighed loudly, wrinkling his nose before reaching behind him and plucking a card out of the dirt. He thrust it in your direction, looking very flustered and unhappy.

Wrestling with your crutches for a moment, you took it. On the front was a smiling doodle of Frisk and Flowey, holding their hands in the air as if cheering. Above was the text "YOUR AMAZING!" You smiled at it, then flipped it open awkwardly with your pinkie. Tears threatened to pool from your eyes again.

Inside was a doodle of you, Frisk (with Floweypot), Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne (with Alphys on her shoulders), Specter and Luka, all seemingly throwing confetti in the air. Above was a short, scrawled paragraph,

"Dear the amazing animal whisperer,  
We all know you'll get better soon!! Stay cool!!  
Love,   
Frisk and (it looked like the word not had been scribbled out here) Flowey!"

Sniffling, you pulled them both closer with one hand, giving them a strong squeeze. Bending over unsteadily (at which one of your crutches toppled to the floor), you gave Frisk a peck on the forehead, which they squealed at. You then gave one to Flowey who snarled and spat and acted as if he'd just been infected with some ugly disease. 

"Thank you, Frisk. Thank you, Flowey." 

Frisk beamed at you and Flowey muttered a 'Yeah, sure, whatever.'

Sans, who had been nearly audibly grinding his teeth at this exchange, helped you pick up your crutch and settle into a seat. Your boss seemed to hesitate, then came forward in long, brisk steps. Upon his shoulders was a snoozing Specter, who he lifted gently away and placed into your hands. You smiled warmly as Specter roused himself, 'mrrrow!'ing at you happily and burying his head into your stomach. 

Boss stepped away, grabbed a package off a table, then pushed it into your hands. You looked at it in surprise. Boss had never been one for gifting in ways more than increasing pay when it seemed someone was having hard time. When you went to open it, he shook his head slightly, placing a hand on yours. He then pressed a finger to his lips, winking through a small smile. You blinked at him in surprise.

You were pretty sure this was your boss at first, but now-

He bent down and wrapped his arms around you in a gentle squeeze. If you had been paying attention, you would have heard Sans jaw fall open. 

After a moment, you returned the embrace the best you could.

"Take care of yourself. I can't have my best animal whisperer out for too long." He murmured into your ear, then stood and pressed a pat into your hair gently. With that, he stepped away.

Wiping away a few tears, you smiled weakly. "Gotcha, boss. Thank you." 

He just nodded.

If you had looked over at that moment, you would have noticed Toriel shut Sans' mouth. 

"Well, gosh. I can't even express how grateful I am for all of this. Thank you. A-all of you. Really." 

Toriel shook her head, shushing you with a wave of her hand. "It's no problem at all, dear. Come, Frisk, Flowey. It's time we get home." Frisk nodded happily, hopping to the door with Flowey in her arms. You waved at them. Oddly enough, Flowey begrudgingly nodded back. 

As they disappeared out the door, you realized that must have been their van you rode in.

Your boss, with one last look to you, turned to Sans, speaking in his usual loud, demanding tone, "You keep your word, boy, you hear?" He squared his shoulders, looking at him through a piercing gaze.

Sans just nodded. 

With a wave, your boss disappeared out the door, you calling out a 'good-bye' behind him. There was awkward pause, then Undyne decided to speak up with a sharp nod.

"I like him."

Soon she and Alphys had to leave as well, each with careful departing hugs. You were left in the living room with Sans and Specter, who had yet to depart from your lap, as Papyrus went to make 'Welcome Home' spaghetti, which was more then likely just regular spaghetti. You turned to Sans, who was, as he had been often recently, watching you carefully.

"What did he mean by keep your word?" 

He rubbed at the back of his skull, averting his gaze. "he more or less forced me to promise that i'd keep you safe and happy or 'so help me, he'd have my head.'" He insinuated the last part with a pair of air quotes. You laughed, a tad flattered.

"Yeah, that sounds like something he'd do." 

In that moment, you nearly forgot to worry and fret over Luka's condition. It came back, making your gut turn over, when you glanced over and saw the picture frame lying beside you on the seat. You lifted Specter off your lap and to the floor, then placed the wrapped gift on a nearby table before grabbing your crutches. 

Sans was on his feet in an instant before you stopped him with a raised hand. You stood yourself up, then hobbled over to the couch and sat in the empty seat beside Sans, then propped your crutches beside you again. Sans relaxed, sighing, and then sat back again.

"Stop worrying so much. I'll be fine just walking, you know." 

He fidgeted, then grabbed your hand. "you gave me a scare, bud. i thought i'd- we'd lost you." He brought your hand to his face and pressed his cheek into it, closing his eyes. You tried your hardest not to flush.

"Well, it seems I cling to life with an unbreakable grip, even if I don't want to, huh?" You laughed awkwardly. 

Sans eyes flung open at your words, eyes focusing on yours with frightening intensity. "what's that supposed to mean?" The words come out low and quiet. It sent you glancing away as you drag your hand away, shrugging.

"Nothing. I was just rambling." 

It looked like he was about to say something else when Papyrus came jaunting in with three plates of spaghetti. Sans pulls way as he sets one on your laps, then on Sans'. 

"Pap, I thought-?" You kind of wanted to just hurry up and dig in, but you had never eaten anything but popcorn in their living room and had figured it was against the rules.

"GO AHEAD AND EAT, HUMAN! EATING IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE RECOVERY PROCESS!" Papyrus happily plopped himself down into a seat, quickly stuffing himself with spaghetti.

"I wish I wasn't just a broken piece of glass you guys are waiting to see shatter." You sighed out. Sans rubbed your arm briefly, then picked up his own fork.

"sorry. we'll try to tone it down a bit." He whispered out gently.

You had to shoo Specter away twice as you ate, chastising him for even thinking spaghetti was fit for cats. Papyrus seemed flabbergasted that spaghetti was not fit to eat for all creatures, big and small.

By the time everyone was finished eating (though you didn't really finish yours; some of the medicine you had to take made your stomach turn over), you were tired out. Sans noticed you nodding off and stood, fetching a glass of water as he grabbed the bag of medicine.

He helped you down the hall on your crutches, then opened the spare bedroom door. Inside was a simply made bed, dresser, large mirror and desk. It looked very plain.

You sat on the bed as Sans popped open the bottles and counted a small palmful of medicine. You downed the pills in a large swallow of water; Sans checked the list inside the bag to make sure you'd taken all you needed, then nodded to himself. 

You set the picture frame he'd gotten you and the present from boss on the bedside table as he slowly inched toward the door, unsure. 

"you all set?" 

"Yes. I'll be okay. Thank you. For everything."

He nodded, sliding out the door and clicking it gently shut. You waited a moment, then picked up the present again. Ripping the wrapping off, then lifting the lid off the box, you pulled out what seemed to be a knit article of clothing.

Unfolding it and holding it up, you smiled sadly. 

It was a large sweater with a brown dog and gray cat on the front; just above them read "No matter how big, no matter how small." On the inside was a tag that read 'Rich- to my animal whisperer.' 

At first, you wanted to cry over it. Then you wanted to laugh; who knew boss was one to knit? And so well, at that.

Falling back onto the bed, hoisting your legs up behind you, you turned off the lamp on the bedside table and slept, clutching the sweater.


	19. Crybaby, crybaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Sans have a somewhat meaningful talk I guess.

You didn't want to get up that morning. 

Despite the fact that you'd been lying awake for at least an hour, strewn awkwardly in the mess of sheets, feeling gross and sticky with unsatisfying sleep, you simply didn't want to go through the effort of the day. Not without Luka. Not when you felt so... useless. Strapped down.

Broken.

Eventually, the door clicked open and, while Papyrus poked his head inside, Specter slipped inside and leapt onto the bed.

"AH, HUMAN! YOU ARE AWAKE! HOW ARE YOU FEELING?" Had he always been so loud?

"Fine." You just sighed out, rolling into a sitting position. Specter butted against you, purring loudly.

"AH, YES. THAT IS BETTER THAN... BAD." He coughed. "WHEN YOU ARE READY, BREAKFAST IS WAITING FOR YOU!" With that, he disappeared again.

You wrinkled your nose. Eating felt like too much effort. Especially with... Your gaze trailed to the cast on your dominant hand is self loathing. You stood awkwardly on your crutches, wobbling to the dresser and using it for support as you looked for something to wear. A sweater several sizes too large, extra baggy sweatpants. Ah, yes.

Balancing them under you arm, you hobbled to the bathroom and managed to get the door open, then shut it again. The room was surprisingly large; a rack of towels and basic needs stood on one wall, with a large shower against the back wall. 

Briefly, you wondered if you would have to embarrass yourself and ask for a stool so you could shower without putting pressure on your ankle like the nurse instructed. Upon glancing under the glance, you sighed in relief; there was a large, fold up stool tucked into the back.

Dragging it out, you set it in the shower. You frowned at it, remembering in embarrassment that the nurse had helped you shower the second day after you woke; she had shown you how to drape a towel over the cast, keeping it elevated, so water wouldn't get underneath it. She even helped you wash your hair and back, which had been even worse.

It was hard to wash with just one hand, especially your hair, but you managed. Somewhat. Your arm was sore afterwards. You were grateful that they had brought over your shampoo and body wash. At least you wouldn't smell like bone cologne.

Dressing was simpler, since you could use your dominant hand, if only limitedly. 

Rubbing your hair dry with a towel, you stood awkwardly on one leg to drape it over a drying pole. You fell, panicking as you managed to grab the side of the sink. Your crutches toppled over with a loud crash; you winced at the noise.

Suddenly, someone was banging on the door.

"HUMAN, ARE YOU OKAY?!" That was Papyrus.

"I'm fine, my crutches just fell over." You huffed out, awkwardly crouching to scoop them up. What a drag. You stood uneasily, then opened the door. You nearly fell over in surprise.

Sans and Papyrus were both standing there, looking very worried. Sans quickly seemed to check you for injuries while Papyrus breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh my god, you guys. I'm telling you, I'm fine. It's just... taking some getting used to." You huffed out, wanting to wrestle your way past them and being painfully unable to. "Stop freaking out. I'm not made of tissue paper."

Papyrus looked away, stepping back and wringing his hands. "W-WE'RE SORRY, HUMAN. WE'VE NEVER HAD A HUMAN IN SUCH BAD CONDITION BEFORE. HUMANS ARE VERY FRAGILE, COMPARED TO US MONSTERS, YOU KNOW." 

You sighed. "I know, but just because I'm hurt doesn't mean I'll break at any moment. I appreciate the concern, but tone it down a tad."

"OF COURSE, HUMAN."

Sans just grit his teeth unsurely before nodding. It didn't look like he intended to follow your request.

You went down the hall with Papyrus and Sans close behind. Already, you could tell it was going to be a long day.

 

You were trying to find something to do to get your mind off of things. Normally you would paced, but that would have about twice as much effort now as before. The worst part was that Sans was watching you struggle try to concentrate on the book in your lap.

"Sans, are you 100% positive I can't go to see her today?" You asked desperately. You felt trapped between a rock and a hard place.

He finally glanced away. "not today. don't want you getting knocked over by some random dog if it's busy in there." 

You sighed, struggling to your feet. Sans jolted to his feet at the same time.

You held back a groan. "I thought you had like, three jobs? Shouldn't you be working?"

"i'm taking some days off."

AAAAAAGH. 

Your thoughts were beginning to sound like Undyne. 

"where're you off to?" 

"Um. Back yard?"

"i'll join you."

You exchanged a glance with Charlie, who looked less then pleased that Specter was sleeping up against the tank.

Sans helped you get down into the grass, then sat beside you. It reminded of you of those late nights when you'd just come and talk in the fresh air. Of the picnic a few weeks ago. It would have been nice if Luka had been there as well.

You sighed, pressing a palm to your eyes. Tears leaked out from behind your hand.

"you okay?"

"... Not really."

"c'mere."

You looked up, surprised to see him beckoning you over with open arms. With a shuddering breath, you collapsed into him. 

"I'm sorry." You eventually sputtered out from behind your tears. "I'm just a deadweight crybaby leeching off of you."

"no, you're not. you're a friend that needs friends there for you. and i want to be that friend." He seemed to have trouble for a moment, tripping over his words briefly at the end.

"Thank you." You sighed, then slid down to rest your head in his lap. Oddly, it was nice. If slightly boney. You wondered if that move constituted as flirting or not, considering you'd quickly tried to destroy your crush on him after you realized he and Tori had more going for them.

It was quiet for a while and you were considering dozing off when he spoke up.

"so what was in the package your boss gave you?"

You cracked an eye open to peer at him. "Nosy much? Company secret, bub."

He flushed, averting his gaze.

"As long as you don't tell him I told you, he knit me a sweater." You sighed, closing your eyes again. "He must have been the one that made me those mittens, not his wife. Gosh."

"wife?"

You chuckled. "What, surprised someone like him actually has a love life?" He laughed a little. It sounded kind of forced. "Yeah, he used to be married. He and his wife used to live a few houses down and, whenever I made too much food, I'd give them some. That's how I managed to get my job. He's been a lot more quiet since his wife... passed."

His gaze quickly met yours, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, a few years ago she passed away. He moved out a little while afterwards. I guess it was just too sad for him to stay. He let me keep the job, even though it was his wife that wanted him to hire me." You sighed wistfully. "She used to pop up at my door all the time with little knit things and tell me to 'Take good care of them, because they were made by someone who really cares about you!' I always thought she was referring to herself, but I must have seemed pretty thick." You lifted a hand up and wiped at a trail left by a tear. "She was... She reminded me of Toriel, in a way. She was like a kind, gentle grandmother or aunt even. He's missing her in his own, quiet way."

He hummed. "kind of explains a lot. about him, i mean."

You nodded, then there was a comfortable pause. "Hey, about Toriel. Have you, like, asked her out yet?"

Sans is processing. "what?"

"Oh, come on, lover bone, I see the way you look at her. Don't even try that."

"first off, 'lover bone?' second, you serious?" Cheekbones tinting blue, he looked down at you through a questioning smile.

"Of course I'm serious." You narrowed your eyes at him. "What, don't have the spine to admit it? Also, sue me, I couldn't think of anything better."

He blinked down at you, then started laughing. Hard. You wrinkled your nose at him, waiting for him to calm down enough to speak again. At one point, he seemed to be almost calm enough to sputter something out, glanced down at you, then started laughing again.

"Any time now, bone boy."

That brought another onslaught of laughter. "b-bone boy?!" 

"Figured Sansy was too cutesy so that's what you're getting."

He laughed some more, then wiped away a fake tear. "first off, you look real cute with your face all scrunched up like that." You stuck your tongue out at him. "second, there's nothing between Tori and i. she's a good pun-pal, but that's all. geez, and here i thought i was being too obvious." He chuckled again, wiping a hand across his face.

"Yeah, yeah, have yourself a chuckle because I'm bad at romance shit. I've never exactly been very active in the dating game, in case you hadn't realized." You snorted, looking away grumpily.

"really?" 

"Oh, don't sound so surprised, mister sassy pants." You grumbled. Out of the corner of your eye, he was shaking his head.

You laid there in silence for a long time. Whether minutes hours or minutes passed, you couldn't really tell.

"Sans?

"hm?" He looked like he was falling asleep, calmly running his phalanges through your still-damp hair.

"Is Luka really okay, or are you just saying that so I won't do something stupid?"

He froze, hand midway through your hair. He retracted it slowly. "of course she's okay."

"Promise?"

"of course. when you see her at Christmas, i promise she'll be good as new." He still wouldn't meet your gaze. "that should mean a lot to you, ya know. i'm not the type to make promises."

"Okay. Well. Thank you. I'm sorry, i just..." Tears threatened to run again. You just let them. "I don't know if I can stand to lose everything again."

"hey, hey. you won't lose her. and you most certainly won't lose everything; you've got Pap, Specter and me all here for you. okay?"

He seemed to ask that a lot.

"Okay." You paused. "Thank you." You struggled to lift yourself into a sitting position.

"it's no problem." As you finally pulled yourself upright, his teeth brushed your forehead before he stood and helped you onto your crutches.

"Well, thank you anyway."

He chuckled, flashing you a smile, then helped you into the house.

You could stand this, so long as he was here.

That night, laying in bed at the brink of sleep, you suddenly remembered something and your eyes popped open.

"The fuck did he mean by too obvious?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to ending goes to WolfWarrior01 lmao thank you!!


	20. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew they had a shed?

"... Luka?"

The smell of iron.

"Hello?"

The air felt hot and sticky.

"Anyone?!"

The sound of a shriek cut off, the thump of a warm against a hard ground.

"Luka!!"

You called for help,

b u t n o b o d y c a m e .

 

You woke with a violent jerk, tumbling to the floor in a pile of sore limbs. You lay on the cold, hard floor for several long, long moments, trying to calm your pounding heart. Your skin prickled. Your palms felt cold and clammy.

Something felt wrong.

You stood shakily, balancing on one leg for a moment before getting your crutches beneath you. Specter, who had been sleeping on the bed beside you, was now pacing worriedly around you in circles. His already long fur was fluffed out in alarm.

"I-I'm okay, buddy. I just need some water." 

You hobbled to the kitchen, struggled to get a cup, then downed two glasses of water. With a sigh, you headed for the couch. You needed a moment before you could go back to bed and try to sleep.

What had that been? The memory was already slipping away, out of reach. You struggled to drag the tatters back into minds reach for several moments before you noticed a flicker of light from behind the back door. Standing, you inched your way over to it and peered outside.

In the far, dark corner of the yard was a shed you'd never noticed before- it was shadowed by a small tree, blocking it from immediate view in the dark. The only indication of it was a small, lit window on its side. Inside, someone was moving around, back and forth.

You were ready to go and investigate (if it was a robber, you could always hit him with your crutches) when suddenly two, cold hands overlapped your eyes. You chuckled. 

"That doesn't work when you have holes in your hands, you know." You whispered out.

A string of flustered words you couldn't understand came from behind you and the hands pulled away, instead turning you around. Standing (could one stand with no legs?) there was the oddly comforting, if somewhat spooky looking, [REDACTED]. He was looking you over sadly, hands ghosting over your side, shrinking away when it felt the stitches. 

"It's not as bad as it looks." You whispered out, growing tired. 

He frowned, then tenderly led you to the couch and sat you down. He tilted his head to you, then pointed to a clock on the wall. It took you a moment.

"Oh, I had a nightmare."

He tilted his in concern as Specter came up and began to play with the ends of his odd, shifting cloak of sorts.

"I can't really remember what happened, but..."

 

Sans sighed into the papers covering the desk in front of him. He knew he should be sleeping, but if he was to be done in time, it would require working late. Especially if he was to keep it under your nose the whole time; sneaking off during the day would be risky.

Maybe it would be worth the risk if it meant getting it done early.

He growled, flipping hurriedly through the book haphazardly opened on the desk. He still wasn't the expert on how this sort of thing was meant to work, but Alphys would surely be a good help. She'd recently gotten her degree verified for the above ground standards. Besides, she'd more or less done it before. Just... different.

He'd need the measurements, of course, but he could only get those tomorrow. Then he'd need the supplies, but that Alphys might be able to help with as well. The know-how he already had a general idea of, but for the details he'd need Alphys' instructions.

He let out a long breath, resting his head for a moment. All this effort for something that might never work. One slip up and it could be a disaster.

But he had a promise to keep. A promise to you, nonetheless.

He cringed. You had scared him so badly. He'd thought for sure he was losing you. Those three days, waiting for you to wake up, had been the worst. He was not prepared to lose you. Especially if he would never get another chance. 

He was still flipping over what you'd said the first day back in his mind: "Even if you didn't want to." Did that mean what he thought it meant? If it did, he had every right to be scared for you whenever you were alone. God knows what you'd do, by accident or not, especially at a time like this. 

At this point, your soul had still yet to reverse its damage. A simple tap in the wrong direction...

Don't think about it. Focus. 

He turned a blue print over and tried to sketch something down again, trying to get the feel of how it would work. This would all be worth it to get to see you ecstatic when it was done. It had to remain a secret; that would make it that much more worth it.

Eventually he stood and brushed himself off. Sluggishly heading for the door, he flicked the light off, but not before checking to make sure was in its rightful place- large bags propped against one wall, two bowls, a bed, blankets, toys, things to chew on... Right. Okay. 

He swung the shed door shut and locked it carefully before heading for the back door. He was surprised to see a light on in the living room and quickly teleported to the door and stepped inside. He was even more surprised to see you sitting on the couch, a blanket draped around your shoulders.

It was odd, for a moment it almost looked like someone had been sitting beside you.

"what're you doing up?"

You looked up in surprise, hands clutching a glass of water. You looked cute like that, small and confused and tired. 

Focus, damn it.

"Um. Nightmare." Your eyelids were drooping. How long had you been sitting there?

"you wanna talk about it?"

"I can't really... remember it. Besides, I'm okay... now." You yawned, looking ready to just lie down and sleep right there. 

He sighed. He should have known there would be nightmares. You had experienced something terrible. Of course there would be nightmares. At least it didn't seem to shake you as badly as some of his did to himself.

"let's... get you back to bed, pal." He pulled you into his arms before you could try to stand, which you didn't seem to object to; in fact, you buried your head against his ribcage, top of your head brushing his collarbone. While his face was burning, he could have very well stayed like that for an eternity and been perfectly happy.

He carried you into your room, pulling the blankets away with a wave of magic and settling you gently into the sheets. You murmured a thanks, burying your head into the pillow. When he turned to go back to his own room, you surprised him by tightening your grip on one of his sleeves.

"Wait." You didn't open your eyes. "Don't go."

If he thought he'd been blushing before, it was nothing compared to this.

His nonexistent heart pounding in his ribcage, he settled gently on the bed beside you as you scooted over to make room. Despite you both making as much room as possible for each other, you were still brushing against him gently.

"Thank you." You sighed out quietly, already looking asleep.

"no problem at all." His hand brushed your cheek, smiling as you wrinkled your nose at the featherlight contact. With that, he relaxed beside you, watching the steady rise and fall of your side as you breathed.

He had to admit it to himself; he was a lovesick fool.

Meanwhile, in your dreams, an oddly familiar monster was leading you away from a place of foreboding and terror to a place of calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, these next few chapters will probably come out pretty quickly. There's a lot I'm eager to write about ahead. ;)


	21. A Day with your Very Gay Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one with the soul discussion

Two days had passed. You had finally convinced Sans to go back to work, but at the expense of having Undyne and Alphys watch over you instead. At the very least, they were not as smothering as Sans.

You'd all sat comfortably on the living room floor and had been talking for hours; they had to leave around the same time Sans got back from wherever the fuck he worked, which wasn't very long now.

"So have you made your move yet?!"

"For Pete's sake, Undyne!"

"They didn't say they haven't!" She promptly hi-fived Alphys.

"No, I haven't, and never will, because he would never be interested."

Undyne and Alphys exchanged a look that ended with Undyne groaning loudly, clutching her forehead.

"Just look at me, okay? I'm a mess, I'm socially incapable, I'm emotionally unstable. Why would he even think about me in that sense? Okay? So stop with that!"

Alphys sighed, shaking her head, but lightly slapped Undyne when she opened her mouth, probably to go at it once more.

"Alright, fine. But I'm not over this. Has anything interesting happened between you two? Platonically, of course!" Nice sarcasm.

"Um. Well. Oh, the other night we kind of just hung out outside in the grass for a while and talked. That was nice." You shrugged.

"What did you talk about?" Why did Alphys look so desperate to know?

"My boss, mostly. Toriel, too."

Alphys deflated, looking away. Undyne did not.

"What about Toriel?" She looked kind of confused. It was almost cute on her.

"I asked Sans if he'd asked her out yet. I'd thought he had a thing for her and apparently he didn't." Undyne blinked at you, then guffawed loudly. "Oh, yeah, tease the person with zero romantic experience because they read a relationship wrong. Sue me."

Undyne, wiping away a real tear, calmed down. "Oh my god! Him and Tori?! As if!!"

Alphys laughed a little. "Yeah, I don't Asgore would like that very much."

"Can we change the subject yet?"

"Alright, fine, fine. How've things been, staying with the two boneheads?"

"Undyne, that was pretty bad."

"I'll show you bad!" Cue smooch battle. 

"Get a room! Preferably not mine. Or Paps."

"Serious talk, how's it been going?" Alphys pulled away from her begrudging girlfriend.

You sighed, scratching at the bandage on your cheek. "Not too bad. Just... They've been kind of stifling? To the point where I want to pull my hair out, almost. It's making me crazy. Sans is the worst about it."

They exchanged a glance before Undyne spoke up. "Well, you did shake him up pretty bad. When Papyrus called to let us know what happened, we could hear him bawling his eyes out in the background." You averted your gaze, rubbing at your cast.

"Y-yeah. He thought for sure you weren't going to make it."

"Hey, that's something that's been buggin' me. I thought nothing that happened to you was all that fatal? I mean, except for that bleeding on the inside thing. The doc said that could've killed you if it wasn't fixed, but he said it like it would've taken a while..." Undyne made a face. "Humans are kind of gross."

You thought about it. "Um, no. Nothing could've killed me, like, right then and there."

"D-didn't Sans say something about their soul...?" Alphys whispered not very quietly.

"Yeah, that's another thing. I thought you guys didn't fight like we do?"

"You're making no sense whatsoever." You screwed up your face, thoroughly confused and frustrated with them for being so cryptic.

"S-Sans said something about your soul when we first got to the hospital. You weren't out yet, and he was still pretty panicked about everything and wasn't making much sense himself..."

"Just let us look at it."

"My soul? Um, how?" 

"Just hold still, dweeb."

Undyne extended a hand towards your chest, then pulled it inward to herself, forming a fist. There was a brief flicker, then appeared a familiar, cartoonish indigo heart.

It was in better shape then when you saw it last, the edges not so chipped, but it still looked broken. The spiderweb of cracks in the center were, perhaps, a little shallower, but it was hardly noticeable to the untrained eye. All in all, it looked to be in a sorry state.

There was a long silence as both Undyne and Alphys stared at the small shape floating in front of you before Undyne reached for it, drawing it gently closer.

"Holy shit," she barely breathed out, looking it over carefully. "How in the world...?"

Alphys just looked at it in horror. "It almost looks like..." The last words were murmured too quietly for you to hear.

"You're... You're right. I never thought I'd see the day..." Undyne was uncharacteristically quiet as she cradled the faintly glowing shape.

"What? What about it?" You hunched your shoulders, grabbing your upper arms. Their reaction was vaguely discomforting. Their eyes lifted to yours and locked there with a startling intensity before they glanced at one another. 

"T-there's a thing some souls can do, if the soul is already damaged but the host looses their will, their hope, their... determination to keep going... Their soul can start to shatter, even if the injuries aren't fatal." Alphys said quietly, as if someone else was listening that shouldn't be.

"We call it self-destruction." Undyne said at what could be considered a quiet volume for her, but was normal for anyone else.

"That must have been why Sans was so scared. When that happens, it's said you can almost heart the soul breaking if you listen close enough." Alphys adjusted her glasses, looking away.

Undyne gently ran a finger over the cracks, seemingly marveling at it. "Who knew it could just... stop halfway through? They say it sometimes happens when a monster loses their loved ones, but they never said it could just halt." 

Suddenly, the front door slammed open. Something long and thin came in contact with Undyne's arm, making her leap back and let go of your soul. She turned to probably attack whoever had just thrown a bone at her when she stopped.

There stood a heavily breathing Sans, one furiously glowing eye locked on your soul.

"don't touch it." He eventually growled out, eye shifting to Undyne in a glare.

"Chill out, we were just looking at it! It's not like I'd just snap it for no reason!"

"S-Sans, you need to calm down!"

Sans just growled, quickly striding over to where you were still seated on the floor, soul floating vacantly in front of you. As he got closer, you subconsciously 'grabbed' your soul and drew it closer to you, almost scared. He stopped a few feet away, looking almost scared. Mostly furious, though.

"are you just parading around with it clear for all to see? don't you know what that is?" 

"Of course I know what it is!"

He blinked at you, eye flashing not quite so quickly.

"It's not like this is the first time I've seen it."

His eye began to flash even faster than before. "... how many fights have you been in?"

You frowned in confusion. "Um, not very many? I haven't seen it in a fight."

His eye suddenly went out and blue seemed to tint his cheekbones. Alphys and Undyne both stared at you as if you'd grown a second head.

"... With WHO?!" Undyne barked out, looking utterly confused.

"Eh?"

"I-I th-thought you said you had z-zero dating experience...!" Alphys covered her face in her hands, looking very, very red.

"... What?" Not the smartest response but hey, they were being cryptic again. 

Sans turned his head away, covering his mouth with a hand.

"Um, kid," Undyne cleared her throat. "You do realize that... when monsters get like, all intimate and shit, they tend to..." She did a spinning motion with her hands helplessly, scales looking very red. "Like, do a certain thing with their souls? Like... soul-mingling, some call it...?" She was sweating. "I didn't realize monsters and humans did it too, but I don't exactly know very many monster that are with humans, so, uh, you do you...?" 

It took you a good five seconds to get the meaning of 'soul-mingling.' 

Oh.

Oh.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

"No, no, no! Oh my god, not like that either!" You barked out, flushing.

They all shot you disbelieving looks.

"No, no, no, I swear, not like that. Holy shit, guys." You sighed, running a hand through your hair, heart still skipping a beat. "Jeez. No. No."

Sans let out a long breath, cheek bones slowly fading back to their original color, at the same time Undyne started laughing. "Oh my god, the look on your face." Same to you. "But, wait, where did you see it then?"

"Oh, I... Um. Hm." You racked your brain. "Recently. Not when those jerks were wailing on me, but recently. There was someone there who showed it to me. It was... It was all battered. He seemed sad about it." You shook your head. "I can't remember."

They all shot you weird looks.

"I've always had a pretty bad memory, guys."

Sans let out a sigh, looking very slightly less mad. He approached again, still looking peeved. You subconsciously turned away slightly as he got close. He paused, then huffed, looking away.

"just let me get that back in you before something bad happens."

You sniffed, but slowly relaxed a bit. He crouched beside you, cupping the soul in one hand before slowly pushing back into your chest. It was odd, but not too disorienting.

With that done, he stood and turned to Undyne. "mind explain why it was in the open like that?" His voice was chillingly calm.

Undyne was far less calm. "We were just taking a look at how it was healing! Take a chill pill, dude." 

Sans looked ready to snap something back when you nudged his foot with yours, causing his gaze to shift to yours. "Hey. Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Nothing bad happened. I think Undyne knows what she's doing. If anything, get mad at me. Just don't argue. Please."

He looked conflicted a moment, then sighed. "... just don't want anything bad happening." He eventually mumbled out. "it's still healing. in this state it wouldn't take a lot to... shatter it." 

Undyne clapped a hand harshly onto his shoulder. "Hey, dork. I wouldn't let that happen. Alright?"

He just sighed, then nodded, not looking convinced. "hey, Alphys. can i talk to you a sec?" He nodded to the back door.

Alphys looked uncertain, then followed him out.

Undyne made sure the door was closed before barking loud laughter. "Geez, kid, he's got it bad."

"Eh?"

"You still can't tell?!"

You just looked at her blankly. She sighed in exasperation.

"Well, listen. I've never seen him so worked up like that over anyone but Papyrus, so you obviously mean a lot to him." She slapped you across the back. You winced. "Make the most of it. Tease him. Show no mercy." She grinned toothily at you, 'winking.'

You sat and chatted for a bit before hearing Alphys' voice from outside, too muffled by the wood and glass to understand. You looked up to see her gesturing to inside, looking almost angry. Exasperated, maybe. Sans just held his hands up in surrender, waiting for her to finish, before answering too quietly for it to drift inside.

You caught Undyne watching them too. She looked conflicted, as if she wanted to both jump out there and attack Sans, and leave them to their conversation. 

"Sometimes I can't believe him." She eventually sighed out, shaking her head.

"... What's going on? Anything I should know about?"

Her gaze snapped to yours in surprise, as if she was shocked to have an audience. "... Nothing for me tell ya about, honestly." She said it as if she didn't agree with herself, but said no more.

Eventually, both Undyne and Alphys had to leave, just as Papyrus was arriving from wherever the fuck he worked. When Sans had come back inside, he acted as if nothing had happened earlier, seemingly forgetting the whole soul thing.

Despite that, you couldn't stop thinking about it. You knew you weren't exactly in the best condition, let alone your soul, but his reaction was... scary, in a way. Not him, though seeing him like that did make him just a bit terrifying; mostly it made you scared for your own safety. If he got that freaked out over Undyne, of all monsters, holding your soul, it must be pretty easy to break at this point.

So, sitting on the couch beside him, only half reading the novel in your lap, you felt the urge to say something. It was just you and him, if only briefly; Papyrus had gone to bed about half an hour earlier and it was oddly quiet.

He seemed to be dozing off, though he would jerk himself awake every few minutes. A joke book was propped open in his lap, though it was slowly sliding to the floor. You slowly struggled to gather the courage to say something.

"Hey." You whispered out.

His head jerked up, turning to look at you in confusion, eyebrows raised.

"Um. I'm sorry."

"what for?" He was whispering too.

"The whole soul thing. If I'd realized it was so easy to break it, I would have... put it back sooner."

He just sighed. "don't worry about it."

"Okay." You fidgeted, messing the corners of the pages. "Hey, I'm sorry."

He looked at you, smile quirking the edge of his teeth. "what for now?"

"... Everything."

The smile fell. "i thought i told you not to be sorry for stuff like that."

"..."

"don't regret everything, because that would mean regretting all the good times, too. i regret not being there to save you and Luka from this whole mess, but i don't regret the picnic or the Halloween party. you shouldn't either."

You sighed, wiping away tears you didn't realize you'd she'd. "It seems whenever I initiate conversation lately, it turns out like this."

"sometimes you just need to hear something a few times before it sinks in."

"I guess. Thank you. For everything."

"no problem, pal." 

You stood up on one leg, then gently grabbed his head and planted a kiss to his forehead. With that, you grabbed your crutches and with a simple "Goodnight," moved off down the hall. Only then did you let the blood rush to your cheeks.

Meanwhile, Sans was left to wonder if that had been platonic or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The one with far too much talking and unnecessary drama. 
> 
> I feel like I'm writing literally everyone ooc,,,, someone slay me,,,


	22. Promises, Promises

"There's so much that can go wrong, Sans."

"i know."

"They would never forgive you if..."

"i know."

"There's only a slim chance the body won't reject it."

"that's all i need."

A quiet sigh. Sans, leaning over the mess of papers and now at least a dozen books, glanced over to see her kneeling beside the bed. She was cradling her head in her hands, frowning despite the ridiculous way the tongue stuck about between the teeth. 

Apparently, using a shortcut had been a little much just yet for her.

"You poor, poor thing." Alphys whispered quietly. "Neither of you deserved this." With another sigh, she stood up. "Alright, I'll help you. But don't blame me if something goes wrong."

Sans let out a sigh of relief. "thank you. the old man never taught me much about this kind of thing; mostly we just worked entirely on a single machine."

"Who?"

"nevermind. where should we start?"

"Probably a frame."

"i've got things measured out already. i wrote them down in that. it was easy to do with her knocked out like that."

Alphys flipped through the small book. "And you've got all these..."

"anatomy books. figured it would help."

Alphys made a face.

"i know you don't much care for how non-magical beings work, but i'll probably need to know."

"Okay." She looked at the diagram on the page, then began to sketch something out. "With Mettaton, we worked it like this, with completely flexible joints."

"we probably shouldn't do that. might confuse 'er having a sudden 'upgrade.'"

"Right. That's why it should only bend a little this way and that, not a full 360. Explain to me again how you're planning on getting her to understand it?"

Sans looked away, then pulled out a rolled up paper and unfurled it. "if we can figure out a way to tap it into the main nervous system and attach it to her shoulder in the right way, with a bit of magic i think it'll work."

"By magic you mean...?"

"determination."

"Oh my God." She promptly dropped the papers and backed away, terrified. "Sans, no, no, no..."

"hey, hey. she's not made of magic. she's a physical being. it won't turn out like that."

"You don't know that." She looked near tears. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she turns out like them." 

"she won't."

"You don't know that!"

"hey, calm down. we don't want to draw attention."

"Sans, this is never going to work."

"there's a chance."

"And what if it fails?!"

"i'll try again."

"And keep using her like some kind of experiment?! Like some toy to repair?!"

"i made a promise."

"Promises like that mean nothing!"

"i promised she'd be good as new, and so help me i'm keeping that promise! for them. for her." He drew a deep breath. "if you made a promise to Undyne, wouldn't you do everything in your power to keep it?"

"That's different."

"wouldn't you?"

"Not if it meant this."

Sans sighed, looking over to her strewn across the bed. She looked... uneven. Lopsided. Unfinished. If she stayed like that, there'd so much she would never be able to do again. So much you could never do together.

"i have to try. please, Alphys. help me. help her. help them both. don't they deserve a chance at a happy ending?"

Alphys looked torn. "I don't know."

"i'll just have to figure it out on my own if you don't."

Tears leaked slowly from her eyes. "You're being manipulative."

"i'm being honest."

She caved. "Okay. But just once. If it fails, that's it. I'm out."

"thanks."

"Only if you promise me something."

"well." He sighed. "out with it then. been making too promises for my own good lately."

"Promise me you'll tell them if things look grim. Even if it ruins your relationship, they deserve to know the truth. After all they've been through, they deserve to know."

"..."

"... We saw what it really was, by the way. We know it wasn't their wounds. It was self-destruction, wasn't it?"

"so you know it might destroy them. to know the truth."

"Everyone deserves to know the truth behind something like this."

"i know."

"Promise me."

"i... i promise." He let out a sigh. "you should get home before Undyne flips her shit."

"Alright. Goodnight, Sans."

"'night."

The door closed softly. 

There was a faint groan. He turned to see her blinking slowly on the bed, still looking half asleep. He walked over and crouched beside her.

"hey, bud. how ya feeling? i've got some medicine you need to take, alright? swallow this." It took some coaxing, but she eventually swallowed it. "there we go, bud. you'll be good as new in no time." He took a deep breath, running his thumb over the scratch under her eye, mirroring the one her owner had. 

"i promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick thing I wanted to squeeze in for no real reason.
> 
> them refers to Reader, by the way. Wanted to keep it gender neutral.


	23. White Boards are Remarkable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff of the Gaster variety

It'd been a little over a week since you'd woken up in the hospital. Christmas was edging ever closer, but you couldn't bring yourself to be happy about it. The thought of Luka somehow not making it nagged at the back of your mind and wouldn't shut up. 

You couldn't talk to Sans about it, for sure. He was entirely evasive these days, though he was at work most of the time anyway. Surrounded by the decorated tree, tinsel and bright, soft lights, you felt very alone. And despite the fact that Charlie (whose tank was now filled with tiny Santas that Undyne had found somewhere) and Specter now seemed to be 'friends' (as in Charlie tolerated him), you couldn't bring yourself to be very filled with cheer.

Maybe there was someone you could talk to, though. Just... Not in the traditional sense.

He'd been reappearing often in your dreams- whenever you drifted close to a nightmare, he led you away through dark, airless corridors. He'd become a very comforting presence, listening to you talk about the recent things that had been going on in the skelehousehold, though he could never say much himself. You were on a bare minimum understanding with what he said, since he seemed almost unable to speak English and instead spoke entirely in his own language- whatever it was. He also signed occasionally. For a while, it seemed am impassible barrier.

But you were about to break that barrier.

You went to sleep one night actively thinking of what you would need- two white board markers (one in indigo, the other in black) and a white board. Miraculously, it worked; you woke in a pale, empty room. Alone.

"... Hello?"

A sound of surprise came from somewhere, and he turned around a corner that was invisible against the background. He blinked at you, then seemed to grin, ecstatic to see you. He did seem pretty lonely whenever you'd seen him before. This was the first time you'd actively sought him out- normally he came to you.

"Hey, I brought something for you."

He tilted his head to the side, letting out a murmur of sound, then approached and knelt beside you, hands crossed in his lap. You smiled.

"I know you understand me, but I can't understand you and I would really like to. You seem like you'd be interesting to talk to."

He put a hand to his cheek, then waved the other, cheeks tinting darker.

"So I thought we could try this instead. Can you write in English?"

He hesitantly picked up the black marker, waving his other hand in a so-so motion.

"That's great!" You were feeling better already. In this place, it felt like all worries were far away.

He smiled sheepishly, clumsily drawing a smiley face on the board. You clapped.

"So, what's your name?"

He seemed surprised, then hesitated before scrawling on the board. When he pulled away, you looked over it:

'W. D. GASTER'

"W. D. Gaster? Suits you."

He blushed again, then scrawled once more. So far, it seemed to be a success.

'WING DING GASTER'

"Wing Ding? Isn't that a-" Your started, something clicking into place. "Are you related to Sans and Papyrus?" He paused, then nodded. "How so?" He tilted his head. "Like, are you some older brother I never heard about?" You gave a lopsided smile.

He laughed, a sound you'd never heard from him before- it was deep, tumbling and rolling like thunder, coming from somewhere deep within his chest. He shook his head, then seemed to contemplate for a moment before picking up the board. He was writing for a while before he put it down again, turning it towards you.

It wasn't words this time; it was a childlike doodle. It featured a large blob that had Gaster's signature smiling, if somewhat deformed, face, a shorter, rounder looking skeleton and a taller, skinnier skeleton. All of them were smiling. There were arrows drawn away from the Gaster-blob to the other skeletons. 

After you looked it over, he slowly drew it away, wiped it away and started to draw again. The next one showed the same Gaster-blob from before, this time taller and looking not quite so blob-looking. Beside him were two tiny skeletons, one a little rounder and taller then other, the smallest wearing what seemed to a very oversized scarf. They were all smiling.

You snapped your fingers. "You're their dad? Or, guardian figure, at least."

He nodded happily.

"I bet you're proud of them. They're doing great things, if only from my point of view."

He nodded again, cheeks tinting darker as he erased the board again. He drew for several moments before holding the board up yet again, looking both very pleased and very eager.

It took you a moment, but you flushed.

On the board was another doodle of Sans, this time with a different doodle that looked very much like you, standing very close and holding hands. To make the point very clear, he'd gone so far as to draw a small heart between them.

You buried your face into your hands, face burning.

"?" He made a sound of concern.

"U-uh, Mr. Gaster-"

He made a sound of disapproval.

"Okay, um, Gaster. I don't think that's, uh, going to..."

He stopped you with a hand on your shoulder, frowning and waving a finger. He picked up the board again, quickly scribbling something down. When he turned it around, it was a doodle of Sans with a large heart next to him, an arrow going from the heart to the Sans.

"Well, yes, I like him, but I don't know if he likes me back... Besides, I don't even know..." You shook your head. "Um, no offense, please, but I don't want to talk about this all over again."

He let out a sigh, erasing the board again, then looking you at inquiringly.

"I just... wanted someone to talk to, to be honest. About anything other then what's going on at home. I mean, their home."

He just nods, motioning for you to continue.

"I feel kind of crowded and alone all at once recently. I'm so used to it just being me and Luka during the holidays, but now... I'm just here with all these strangers I hardly know anything about, unable to so much as leave the house without supervision." You sighed.

He scribbled. 'Strangers or freinds?'

"I mean, yes, they are my friends, but I only met them like six months ago. Sans already knows the gist of my story, but I know hardly anything about him. It feels... both unfair and stupid on my part. Like I'm trusting myself to people that could drop and break me at any time they wanted."

He made a noise of concern, then scribbled.

'Is what you really think?' 

"I don't know."

A rushed doodle of Sans, Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys, all frowning.

'Wouldn't do that.'

You chuckled. "I hope not."

'Know not'

He patted your hair gently.

"Hey, let me see the board."

He watched you curiously as you doodled on the board: Gaster cradling a very happy looking Specter.

"Since Spcecter seemed to like you, here's a thing of you and him, I guess."

He beamed at it, then snuggled it close as if it was the best thing he'd ever received. He then scribbled on it, and turned it around again.

'Talent!!'

You laughed. "Well, thank you. I never thought i was very good, but I'm glad you like it."

He seemed reluctant to erase it, but eventually did and doodled something himself. It was of you, Sans and a general dog figure, which you assumed was Luka. All of them were smiling broadly. You laughed.

"Aw, thanks! I'll cherish the memory of it forever."

He blushed, making a noise you'd dubbed as his 'thank you.'

You spent the rest of the time passing the board back and forth, doodling increasingly silly things. It was, in all honestly, exactly what you needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should really stop posting these so fast, especially considering that the Christmas chapter is only a few away,,,


	24. Christmas Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping. Also, reader is feeling pretty good today.

"Alright. Thanks, Tori. I'll be ready in an hour."

With a click, you ended the call. You still needed to go Christmas shopping, so you'd called up Tori to ask if she could escort you and maybe go around town with you. She had seemed relieved she wasn't the only one who had been too preoccupied to shop earlier and told you both Frisk and Flowey would be tagging along.

Since you'd be out all day, you figured you should tell Sans before he flipped his shit when you disappeared for most of the day. It was his day off and he apparently planned on sleeping the whole time, but if he woke and you were just gone, he might just blow something up at this point. So, being the kind friend you were, you slammed his door open after you put the phone away.

"Sans, wake up." He didn't respond. He was sprawled across the bed in a mess of sheets; seems you weren't the only one tossing and turning some nights.

"Sans, I'm serious." You crutch-ed up to the side of the bed, dodging piles of clothes. You reminded yourself to do some laundry tomorrow. 

You raised a hand and patted his cheek a few times. His face, despite being bone?, scrunched up in response but otherwise he didn't respond.

"Saaaaaans." Nothing. "Wake up or I'll drop Specter on you." Still nothing. "Come on, I know you're awake!" A snoring sound. "Oh come on, that didn't even sound real!" He seemed to smile wider, but didn't open his eyes. "Okay, you leave me no choice." You balanced on one foot, propping the crutches up against the side of the bed. "If I didn't want to avoid pissing off the doctor, I'd totally be belly flopping you right now, but instead I have to be a little more tame."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, you rolled to your knees and then put your hands beside his shoulders before swinging a leg over his hips. With that, you sat heavily before sitting upright and retracting your hands.

Well, that got a reaction.

His eyes flew open, him sucking in a sharp breath as his hands flew to your hips and found a strong grip there. Upon his gaze finding yours, you looking down at him through a shit eating grin, his cheekbones flushed.

"Ah, there we go! Good morning, sleepy bones, how are you?" You laughed, smiling as innocently as possible.

He just stared at you, almost as if he didn't believe what had just happened.

"I needed you to wake up cause I don't want you complaining later that you didn't remember me telling you because I didn't try hard enough to wake you up." You sniffed.

He blinked, taking deep breaths. His eyes looked you up and down, face turning darker.

"Dude. Take a picture. It'll last longer." You eventually deadpanned.

"s-sorry." He immediately looked away.

"Anyway, now that I've got your attention, Tori, Frisk, Flowey and I are all going out for the afternoon to do some Christmas shopping, so don't be surprised if I'm not back till, like... I don't know, dinner time I guess."

"o-okay." He was looking at you again, though looking far less surprised. In its place was something you couldn't put your finger on.

"Dude, what's your deal? Do I have something in my teeth or something? Stop staring at me."

He laughed breathlessly. "sorry, bud," he grinned wider, "i just didn't realize you wanted to jump my bones so badly." Cue eyebrow wiggle.

Cue a deep, grumpy frown from you as blushed. Without a word, you rolled off of him, mindlessly sliding to the floor.

"I change my mind. No gifts for you."

He whined. "aw, c'mon. it's just a joke. i thought i should try to tickle your funny bone." He rolled into his side, grinning down at you on the floor.

You snorted.

"alright, no trip to the bone zone for me, i get it."

Cue spit take. "Bone zone?!"

"oh, so you are interested?" Another eyebrow wiggle. 

"I am leaving. And I am not coming back. Goodbye." You reached for your crutches when he pulled them away. You shot him a look.

"hey, i thought it was pretty humerus." He was sitting up now, crutches somewhere behind him. 

"I'll just crawl." You rolled onto your hands and knees, making an exaggerated move towards the door.

"hey, wait, i was just kidding. i'm pretty sure it wouldn't look good if our human neighbors saw a human limping out of the monsters' house." He sounded almost sincere.

You sat down again, frowning as if still angry. "Oh, yeah, because that's the biggest problem here." You rolled your eyes.

He sheepishly grinned, passing the crutches to you. You set them on your lap, not standing. "Hey, it's been a while since I heard you spiel out puns like that."

He shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck. "figured saying you really broke a leg with those thugs wouldn't really be appropriate. also kind of assumed you hated them and didn't want to make you mad."

You rolled your eyes. "Oh, please. I just like to banter with you, so I play hard to get. Does that make sense?" You flashed him a smile, pulling yourself into a standing position. "And, tibia honest, you really do a good job at being humerus and hitting my funny bone." 

He laughed, then paused. "hey, those are all ones i've used before."

"I suck at making up puns, so I stole yours instead."

He laughed harder then. "oh, man, Pap is going to be mad i've been such a bad influence on you." 

You gave him finger guns, grinning. "Don't you mean, rad influence?"

He stared at you for a moment before laughing yet again. Fuck yeah, you'd made him laugh three times so far today. New record.

You both exited his room, heading for the living room. "Hey, what should I get Papyrus?"

"spaghetti."

"I want to at least pretend I know him on some level." You thought about it for a minute as he went into the kitchen. "Hey, he likes skeleton themed things, right?" He nodded, coming back in with two mugs. "Does he like action figures, by chance?"

He laughed, passing you a mug. "how'd you know?"

"Had a feeling. Alright, I've got a pretty good idea. What do you want?" You sipped the sweet coffee. Ah, yes. The way you'd grown to like it.

He seemed to pause, then shrugged. "dunno. haven't really thought about it."

"What? Why not?"

"normally Paps just gets me ketchup or some similar food product. he only got me a joke book once." His grin widened at some memory.

"Wait, you've only ever gotten things from Pap?"

He shrugged. "used to get some cool stuff from the old man, too. but... he's not around anymore."

You nodded. "He's proud of you, you know."

He shot you a weird look.

"Never mind, talk for another time. My ride will be here in about fifteen minutes, think about it and tell me what you'd like."

You were busy writing down a list of stores you wanted to stop by and things you wanted from each- one of those cute snail themed sweaters from that quirky clothing shop for Tori, perhaps a scarf of sorts for Flowey since he was bound to get cold, one of those neat little friendship charm sets for Frisk and whoever they wanted to give the other to, etc.- when there was a honk from outside. You folded up the paper and stuck it in your pocket, quickly snatching up your wallet.

"hey, i'll go with you." Sans was already halfway standing, looking apprehensive about letting you go out.

"Nope, sorry, not happening. I want this to be a surprise. Thought of anything you want for Christmas?" You flashed him smile, pausing by the door.

His eyes locked with yours and for a moment he looked very conflicted. Then he was shaking his head; you sighed.

"Well, if you do, be sure to let me know." With that, you quickly hopped out the door and down to the awaiting car.

With a sigh, Sans waved you off, getting another honk from Tori as she sped away, Frisk waving from the back seat with a very unhappy looking Flowey sitting in their lap. 

He wondered if it would have been worth it to say "More of you."

 

"Hey guys, what's up?" You asked as you clipped your seatbelt into place, beaming into the rear view mirror at Frisk and Flowey in the back seat.

Frisk nodded their head vigorously, grinning. 

"The sky." Flowey spat, earning a nudge from Frisk.

"We are doing nicely, dear." Tori chuckled. "You seem to be doing well." She shot you an amused glance as you wiggled in your seat.

"Well, for one I'm glad to finally be doing something at least somewhat productive. For another, I was able to talk with a friend last night, and it was exactly what I really needed." 

Tori nodded happily. "I'm glad. I'm also very glad we can go shopping together." She shot you a sheepish glance. "To be entirely honest, I'm not sure what to get you. I'm hoping you'll give me some pointers."

"Sure thing. You don't have to get me anything, you know."

"Oh, but we want to."

"I don't!" 

The sound of a hand hitting something floppy.

"Ouch! Don't smack the petals, don't smack the petals!"

You laughed. "Oh, hey, Flowey!"

"What?" He sounded angry again.

"I hope you'll like what I get you."

A snort. 

After a few minutes of driving, you pointed out an old bookstore on the side of the street. "Oh, stop here, I think I can get something for Alphys here." 

Toriel nodded, pulling into a parking space beside the street. You hopped out, getting on your crutches and making your way inside. The bookkeeper, with a new monster assistant, nodded to you as you went past.

You looked around for a while before spying what you were looking for- and something interesting beside it. You picked up the book of Greek mythology, setting it aside before picking up the other book: a book of constellations. 

You were leafing through the pages, inhaling the comfortable smell of old books, when Toriel found you again. She came up to see what you'd picked out curiously as you continued to flip through the pages, admiring the illustrations.

"Oh, is that...?" She asked, peering over your shoulder. 

"Constellations? Yeah. I've always wanted to see a big, empty sky chock full of stars, the kind where you can point out all the constellations that are meant to be there, but I've never really had the chance..." You sighed wistfully; the only time you'd come even relatively close to that dream had been when you and Luka had lain out in your yard on a clear night. That had been one of the best nights of your life. So calm, so quiet...

"Oh my goodness, you sound just like Sans!" Toriel chuckled.

You looked up at her in surprise. "Really?" 

"Yes. He used to go on and on about how amazing the stars were when we first got up here. He was completely enraptured."

"Hm. Maybe a book of constellations would be cool?"

She just nodded and you smiled, tucking the books under your arms as you headed for the register.

 

"Hey, Flowey!" 

"What?!"

"Which do you like more, the plain one or the one with little sunflowers on it?"

"Neither!! ... The plain one."

"Alright, good! And don't tell Tori what I'm getting her, please."

"... Fine."

You were carrying Flowey's pot on your shoulder, his leaves wrapped around your head to keep from falling off. You were going around the funny knick-knack shop, getting the last of your shopping done.

Unfortunately, you'd yet to find anything else for Sans since the book store-

"Oh my god, what is that?"

You picked up a shirt. "'I'm a real bonehead?' 'Numbskull?' 'I think I'm running a femur?' These... These are all bone puns?!" A grin split your face until your started laughing.

"Oh joy, you're just like that smiley trash bag." Flowey sneered.

"Sure am! Also, I think you mean funny joke book."

He threw his head back and groaned loudly. 

"Hm. Which to get, which to get... Ah, yes! 'I'm a rib-tickler; you'll find my jokes humerus.' Ooh, this hoodie will be nice for Frisk, don't you think? 'Friend-shaped!'"

Flowey just sighed as if exasperated.

You met up with Toriel and Frisk a few blocks away, feeling very much like you'd done a good.

"Success?" Toriel was holding what seemed to be a cup of steaming coffee. Or hot cocoa. Yum.

"Yep! Hey, no peeking, your gifts in here, too!" You lifted a bag up higher, away from Frisk's adorable prying eyes. Frisk scrunched up their face, then lifted their hands to Flowey. You leaned over, low enough for them to grab the small pot. "Thanks for hanging with me, Flowey!"

"Not like I had a choice." He sniffed, but you were thoroughly convinced he was warming up to you.

"Cmon, let's get home before my arms fall off."

"Home?" Toriel's tone was teasing.

"Their home. Theirs, not mine." You quickly corrected yourself, climbing into the car.

She just chuckled, shaking her head as she started the vehicle.

 

"No, Papyrus, you cannot see what I got you!" You ducked under the extended arm, dodging left when he tried to grab at the bags. 

"CAN I AT LEAST SEE WHAT YOU GOT SANS?!" He was tap dancing in place, very eager to see something- anything!- you'd gotten.

"Hmmmmmmm..." You exchanged a glance with Sans, who had looked up from his place on the sofa at his name. He narrowed his eyes at you. "Of course! But you have to promise you won't tell him! Santa doesn't give gifts to people who spoil other people's presents!" You'd already figured out Papyrus still believed in Santa. It was working wonderfully in your favor.

He vigorously nodded, hands obviously itching to get on the bags. Sans seemed to sniff, then turned back to his book.

"Alright, come on, I'll show you."

Papyrus clapped, practically leaping into your room. You followed, blowing Sans a kiss and a wink as you left the room. He grumbled, cheekbones turning just the slightest bit darker. He was a fool for admitting it, even to himself, but little things like made him all the more crazy about you.

He was also painfully aware that he could just use a bit of magic to sneak a listen to what you'd gotten him. While he was very eager to know, he also knew it'd be better as a surprise and suppressed the urge to listen through the wall.

 

"Okay, so, I didn't really know what to get him, but..." You lifted the book out, deciding to keep the pun shirt a secret as Papyrus would surely throw a fit and give you away. "Tori said he like stars and the like. Have you heard about constellations?"

"I've heard that they're like pictures in the stars, each with a different story!" He seemed giddy, watching eagerly as you pried the book open. You were glad he was keeping his voice down, even if he did it because Santa would be angry.

"Well, check this out. This one is Pegasus, the winged horse..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I the only one that does things that could be considered flirting but are really just meant platonically??? Idk, I'm an awkward friend.
> 
> Also, you may have noticed a severe lack of skeleton puns in this fic. That is because I suck at coming up with puns.


	25. The Anatomy of a Physical Being

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [DETERMINATION]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING:
> 
> Very mild gore. Blood. Stay safe!

Sans tested it again. And again. One more time, then he'd... Again, and again. One more time, just to make sure.

Sweat was dribbling from his forehead, despite that he felt very, very cold in the brightly lit shed.

Fear sweat. 

His fingers brushed the wires sticking out from where it would join the body. Would that be painful? How long would it take for her to get used to it? He was lucky he'd finished it early; this meant he could take her somewhere far away and test how she did with it.

After he attached it, of course.

His nonexistent gut turned over at the thought. He was no doctor, he had no clue how to go about this, he knew basic mechanics but he knew nothing of this, books could only teach you so much. 

Wiping away the sweat, he turned his gaze to her, sitting up on the bed and watching him through concerned eyes. She cocked her head as his eyes met hers, letting out a huff of noise. He winced.

If this went wrong...

Don't think about it, don't think about it.

"c'mere, bud. i have something i need you to take. it'll make you real tired. that's it. now, sleep." He lifted her onto the now sterile tabletop as she began to doze off. He stroked her slowly as she fell into a deep slumber, jaws eventually falling slack and limp tongue rolling out from between her teeth. Turning away, he hurriedly dunked his hands into the scalding water waiting nearby before slipping on some gloves. He checked his tools once, then again, and again. 

There was no turning back now.

He slid a mask over his mouth, just in case, as he picked up the scalpel. 

"alright, pal. you gotta stay determined. that's the only way this'll work. as soon as this is over, you'll get to see 'em again. okay? this is all just a bad dream. you'll wake and you'll be good as new. i promise."

With that, he lowered it to the skin of the shoulder and winced as it split, blood showing fresh and scarlet as he did so. This was going to be a long night. 

 

He was breathing heavily by the time he was halfway done. He would never get used to all the substance that made up the working bodies of all these non-magical creatures above ground. He was stumped temporarily, trying to figure out a way around a particularly large vein that stood between him and the last few steps of the procedure.

Suddenly, there was a shiver going up his spine. He paused, taking a deep breath. A familiar smell greeted his sense, nearly drowned out by the smell of iron. 

"... pops?"

There was a low murmur of noise. A faint shadow moved around him to the other side of the table. It bent over the limp figure, cooing soft words. A pale shape that might have been a hand ran over her head gently. It's malformed face turned to Sans, murmuring a question.

Sans, shell shocked to see the figure he'd tried to desperately to save for years, struggled to shake off his sudden jitters. "uh, yeah, things have been going okay so far. i just can't seem to..."

The figure bobbed its head, then came around next to him and shadowed his hand in its own. It began to speak again in the all too familiar language, guiding his hand through the procedure. Eventually, all that was left to do was close up the incision and secure the limb close to the shoulder. 

Sans breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good. 

"thanks, pops." A pause. Tears leaked from Sans' eyes as he finished stitching around the wires and gently cleaned away the scabbing blood from the short, shaved fur. "... i miss you."

The shadow embraced him, surrounding him in the familiar smell of hot metal, chemicals and old, yellowing books. Sans leaned into it for several moments before it pulled away. It gestured to the limb, seemingly waiting. A fresh jolt of fear shot though Sans. 

"... do you think it'll...?" 

The figure just waited.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Sans reached forward and triggered the flow of the concentrated DT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also I am not a doctor so do not trust that anything here is even relatively accurate lmao


	26. And all at once,

You, with the helping arms of Alphys, put the last present under the enormous tree that apparently Asgore had picked out in an attempt to impress Tori. It had not worked, but it certainly made Frisk happy.

It was of mutual agreement that the Christmas party would be taking place at Tori's house, so you had recruited Alphys and Undyne to help you bring your now wrapped gifts over and put them beneath the tree beside everyone else's. You were surprised to see quite a few presents with your name on them under the tree; it seemed one of them was signed in Papyrus' large, blocky lettering, a small one signed in your boss' elaborate, looping letters, one or two in Frisk's quick scribble, and one in Tori's neat cursive. It was slightly crushing to see none of them were from Sans; he had been outright avoiding you these days, disappearing for long periods of time and getting sweaty and fidgety whenever you tried to converse. You hoped it was just holiday jitters.

A few other monsters would be coming as well, namely Grillby and Mettaton, but everyone insisted you come over early to help set things up, though now that you were here no one would let you do anything. 

"S-so, are you excited to see Luka again?" Alphys fiddled with her fingers, sneaking a glance to you. She was seated on the spare sofa beside Richard, your boss; having just previously just introduced to him, the two had struck up a conversation and got along surprisingly well.

"Of course! I'm assuming we'll go, like, after the party to pick her up from the hospital. I practically can't wait to see her again, even if she's not in the best shape..." You smiled, excitement and uneasiness rising like twins to make your stomach flip over.

Papyrus was pacing around the tree, eyeing all the gifts with his name on them with obvious eagerness. 

"Pap, calm down, they're not going anywhere." You laughed out. He sat for about .5 seconds, then was up again. Shaking your head, you got to your feet, crutches under your arms. Flowey was seated on the table beside the couch and you plopped down next to him. "Hey, Flowey. Having a good time?"

"No!" He snapped out, then huffed, looking away. "... Though it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Aw. Well, I hope you like the stuff I got you." With that, you gave one of his petals a peck, to which he responded with a grumble, but didn't struggle otherwise. 

"So, dork!" Undyne said, 'casually' (not at all casually) reclining against a doorframe. "Have you admitted your deep, undying love for Sans yet?" A fanged grin split her face.

You rolled your eyes with a sigh. "No, I don't think it's like that. It's more just-"

"Babe, grab the mistletoe!! We got a kiss to set up!" Undyne barked out before you could finish, dashing off with Alphys just behind her, several sprigs of mistletoe in hand.

You sighed, blushing but knowing it would be pointless to argue. Tori patted your back, giggling. Frisk made a face, but smiled anyway. You ruffled their hair. 

A few minutes later, there was a small jingle from a cellphone somewhere. There was a not-very-hushed whisper from Undyne, then both she and Alphys were scrambling back into the living room. They shared a glance with everyone else, nodding excitedly to everyone who they made eye contact with.

Everyone immediately locked eyes with you excitedly, Toriel clasping her hands together. You glanced around, confusion creeping up your spine with apprehension right behind it.

"... What? ... I swear to god, if this is some just elaborate joke..." You made your best 'I'm suspicious of you' face, but couldn't help smiling anyway. They all just grinned.

Suddenly, there was the sound of the front door opening. There was a sound of a clattering struggle before a familiar voice puffed out,

"i'm here, i'm here, sorry we're late."

It was Sans! That's why they'd all looked at you like that; they were expecting you to rush under the mistletoe and catch him by surprise. Yeah, well, that wasn't happening.

You started to your feet to greet him as there was shuffling from the entrance way; there was the sound of Sans' even, loud footsteps, but there was another pair of feet with him. Funny, it almost sounded like the unmistakable rhythm of a quadruped, but you hadn't seen him with any quadrupedal monster friends before. 

You turned toward the entrance way, smiling. "Hey, Sans, what-" You broke off mid-sentence, words dying on your tongue as your heart stopped.

Inside the doorway was a very disheveled looking Sans, as if he'd rushed to get here, dressed in a tacky Christmas sweater, but that wasn't what had your attention. Beside him was a very confused, but very happy, looking Luka, topped with a big red bow around her neck. That wasn't the oddest part.

In place of her missing right foreleg was something new: a shiny, metal replica, toes spread out to get a grip on the wood floor. 

Her gaze bright, she looked at each of the people, monsters, even flower, present, tail slowly wagging harder, before her eyes rested on you. She seemed to be frozen for a moment before she cried like you'd never heard before, literally galloping up to spring against you.

You fell to your knees, crutches long forgotten, and opened your arms as she jumped into the embrace. Her tail whipped against your arms as she whined and buried her head in your chest. You clasped your arms around her tightly, bringing her flush against you as she licked at your face.

You buried your face against the thick fur of her scruff, inhaling the smell that you'd missed for so long: the distinctive smell of falling leaves, wheat, and all-around dog smell, this time topped with a slight hint of bone cologne. It was soft and glossy, like it'd just been washed, catching the small tears that leaked from your eyes as you whispered to her.

"Oh, my sweet, sweet baby girl, you have no idea how glad I am to see you. I missed you so much, girl. So, so much. I'll never let something like that happen again, I promise." She responded with a content sigh, relaxing into the embrace and looking half asleep.

There was a sudden round of applause. You looked up, blinking away spare tears as you gathered in the sight of all your friends- Undyne, Alphys, Richard, Toriel, Frisk, Papyrus, Sans, even Asgore- beaming as though they'd just seen the grandest thing they'd ever lay eyes upon. As you watched, Alphys shot Sans a grin and two thumbs up as Undyne slapped him across the back. He looked both somewhat ruffled and very, very happy.

"Oh my god." You heaved out, sucking in desperate breaths of air as Luka stretched to lick at your face and kissed the tears away. "Oh my god." You cradled her head in your hands, her blinking at you as though it was the best sight she'd ever laid eyes upon. You leaned forward and gave her a gentle peck between the eyes, to which she responded with another content sigh.

She reclined against you, laying with her front half in your lap as you ran your hands slowly, deliberately through her fur. Slowly, you slid a hand down to the mechanical limb attached to her shoulder, the top few inches wrapped tightly in gauze. It was warm and hummed gently under your finger tips.

"Oh my god. How...?" You breathed out, looking up at the group through amazed eyes. As everyone deliberately glanced at Sans, Alphys gave him a sharp nudge forward. He hesitantly took a step towards you, looking very sheepish as he rubbed at the back of his neck. 

"it wasn't too hard, once i figured out how to put it together." He nodded to Alphys at this, who grinned, seeming proud. "after that, it was just the trouble of hooking it up right and finding a rejuvenating power source to keep it running." He smiled gently at Luka, still sprawled across your lap. "gotta tell ya, that dogs got some real determination to keep you safe and happy. she didn't quite get the hang of it right off the bat, but whenever she fell, she seemed twice as motivated to get back up again."

"Oh my god." You breathed, slowly grounding yourself and reminding yourself this was real. "I can't believe..." You rose unsteadily to your feet, Luka soon supporting your right side. You stared at him through hazy eyes, realizing that you might just, maybe, perhaps, love him with all your heart as Undyne had implied.

He shrugged, grinning softly, tenderly at you. "i know it's not quite good as new, but i gave it my best to keep my promise."

You laughed weakly, almost crying again. "Oh my god. Thank you, Sans. Thank you so much."

"anything for you, pal." You didn't notice the rest of the squad watching with baited breath.

"Hoooo, my god." You breathed out, heaving a deep breath as you finally pulled yourself back down to earth. You chuckled, flashing him an ecstatic smile. "Geez, I could almost kiss you right now." If you'd been listening, you would have heard the rest of the group suck in a breath (while Toriel quickly covered Frisk's eyes) as a sudden, new look crossed his face.

"then do it."

"Wh-?"

Before you could say anymore, he'd grabbed the sides of your face and pulled you down into him, lips meeting teeth. Too surprised to respond, you blinked as he held you there for several moments, giving the group time to shoot each other excited, if embarrassed, smiles. 

He pulled away after a moment, but still held your face gently between his oddly warm hands. He barely cracked his eyes open, letting out a long breath before letting out a breathless chuckle.

"sorry. been wanting to do that for a long time." He was quiet, but not quite whispering. His gaze searched yours for several moments as a new emotional became apparent across his face: apprehension. 

"bud." He breathed out, sounding nervous, eyes desperately searching yours. "tell me i read the signs right. tell me i didn't just screw everything up bad. tell me i'm not just some desperate, lovesick fool." He drew a deep breath, eyes still locked with yours. "... tell me you... like me back."

Your heart had stopped when he first kissed you, but now it more or less felt like it was going to explode out of your chest. Your eyes- wide as moons at this point- searched his gaze frantically and found nothing but apprehension and hope there.

"Sans." You breathed out, hands finding nothing to grip and instead hanging in the air. Despite the sincerity of his words, despite wanting very much to throw yourself against him, you found doubt flickering in your chest; what if he didn't really mean it? What if it was just a... temporary infatuation, or something of the like? "I... We've only known each for six months." 

"you say it like its six days." He said, just as breathily, but you could see anxiety slowly replacing the hope in his gaze. 

"I only know so much about you."

"give me a chance to let you find out."

You searched his gaze desperately. "Sans, I'm... I'm broken."

He gripped you tighter, leaning forward to press his forehead lightly to yours. "no you aren't. even if you were, i wouldn't care. it'd just be another thing i absolutely love about you. i love all the imperfections you have. i love the way you care about everything living, big and small. i love all the little things you do. i love all you've done for us." He paused, eyes softening as the anxiety melted away as if he was forgetting himself. "i love you."

For a moment, you couldn't respond. Then you were grabbing his own face and pulling him close enough to fill the gap between, lips meeting teeth in a soft, if awkward, kiss. After a moment, you pulled away, just enough to see his eyes, widened slightly as if surprised.

"I like you, too." 

He gazed at you in silence for a moment and you wondered if you'd done something wrong before he suddenly beamed at you, arms going to your waist and lifting you off the ground, doing a spin that made you laugh.

There was another round of applause; Undyne was whistling and giving a big smile as she flung an arm around her flustered, but grinning, girlfriend. Asgore was clapping softly as he spared a glance at Toriel, smiling softly. Papyrus, though very orange, was hooting and clapping the loudest, grinning even broader then usual. Frisk and Flowey made a face, but Frisk seemed very pleased anyway. Even your boss was smiling softly, giving you a small nod of approval.

Sans grinned at you, putting your feet on the ground but not taking his arms away. "you've just made me the happiest skeleton alive."

You laughed, thoroughly flushed at this point. "I almost can't believe any of this is real."

"you're telling me." He leaned forward and nuzzled his teeth to your cheek, causing you to grin and blush harder. 

"I can't believe you had it in you, dude!" Undyne practically yelled, coming up and slapping Sans across the back. "You talked about wanting to do it for weeks, but I never thought you'd actually have the guts to!" She barked out a laugh. Sans flushed, gently releasing you.

Alphys was clapping excitedly behind her girlfriend, stars practically glittering in her eyes. "Oh my gosh!" She almost squealed. "You guys are like something right out of an anime!"

"I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU, BROTHER, FOR HAVING WON THE HEART OF SUCH A WONDERFUL HUMAN!" Papyrus cheered, prancing in circles around you. Toriel nodded behind him, winking to you.

"We are all very glad you finally managed to get together."

"Indeed!" Asgore's voice boomed out, sounding very cheerful. "There is nothing quite like young love." He sighed, seemingly lost in thought as Frisk ran up. They patted Sans' arm repeatedly, then bounced on the spot, seeming too excited to sign. Flowey stuck out his tongue, but did nothing else otherwise.

Richard came up and smiled at you, then narrowed his eyes to Sans, doing a quick 'I'm watching you' motion. Sans just nodded to him, seemingly too happy to be afraid of the threat. 

Luka, who had been prancing about as if she was the happiest dog alive, now came and wormed her way between you and Sans, sighing contentedly. You brushed a hand against her ears.

"Thank you, Sans. So much. For everything. You have no idea how much this, all of this, means to me." You smiled at him, and he flashed one back at you.

"no problem. hey, i've gotta question for you." A certain giddiness came to his eyes.

"Sure, of course. What is it?"

He grinned wider, almost like he was holding back laughter. "will you be my... verte-bae?"

There was a collective groan, during which you laughed.

"Of course, bonehead."

 

The party went by smoothly, you and Sans sticking together for the majority of it. You'd managed to convince everyone you'd be fine without your crutches since you had the brace on, though Sans seemed somewhat apprehensive about you walking around without them. He tended to grab your hand and squeeze it whenever you got within range. He also made it a habit to catch you under mistletoe whenever he could, either brushing a toothy kiss to your cheek, or insisting you give him a smooch, to which you responded with a light kiss to his cheekbone.

It was worth it if you got to see him blush each time.

Luka was the main gravity of attention, monsters all wanting a look at the magic-powered leg attached to the non-magic being. Mettaton even proclaimed they were now like siblings and cooed over and cuddled her for a long time. Eventually, she ended wandering around the party, greeting everyone and almost showing off her new leg.

You'd said hello to Grillby again, who, when he saw your hand interlocked with Sans', promptly asked if Sans had finally worked up the courage to seal the deal. Sans, though now blushing furiously, had nodded and said he'd really managed to steal your heart and it was a given you should fall for him. 

"Oh, really?" You had snarked back, nonchalantly. "I suppose you won't mind if I just pull down all the mistletoe, then." You made a move as if to leave, pulling your hand away. He tightened his grip and, though now completely blue, asked you to please not do that. Victorious, you nudged him with your shoulder as Grillby broke out into a quiet laugh.

Mettaton, who had, quite literally, pulled Papyrus under the mistletoe every time he passed by, was seemingly ecstatic to see you together with Sans.

"Oh, I see you've gotten together at last! Now Alphys can't complain about how Sans keeps getting cold feet, or how oblivious the human is to his advances." He crooned, sending you a wink as Sans turned bright blue and shot Alphys a look. You just blinked, somewhat confused, as the robot with magnificent legs strolled casually away.

"Advances?" 

> __________ is processing.

"Oh! So that's what that was about! And that, too! And..." You laughed, blushing. "Wow, that actually explains a lot."

Sans blushed, teeth quirking into a smile as he glanced to you. "you... really couldn't tell?"

"Well, no, actually. I thought you were just messing with me most of the time. Wow. Um. I really must look like an idiot." You laughed, blushing harder as you looked away.

He chuckled, tugging you closer and leaning his shoulder against yours. "nah. that just makes it that much cuter, though for a while i was thoroughly convinced you were purposefully playing hard to get."

You hid behind a hand, thoroughly flustered as he laughed and brushed a kiss to your locked hands.

 

Eventually, most of the party dispersed and went home, leaving just the main group. You'd all gathered around the tree, Alphys and Undyne passing presents around. Luka was reclined beside you, Sans on your other side, with Papyrus beside Luka. The rest of the group was spread out evenly, though Toriel refused to sit beside poor Asgore, who watched her with a forlorn gaze.

"H-hey, this one is for you, Undyne!" Alphys peered at one label through her glasses. You fidgeted when you saw it was yours, suddenly nervous.

"Really?! Rad! Pass it here!" Undyne looked very, very hyped as she ripped away the paper, then paused when she pulled out a sweater. She read it over, then started laughing like it was the best thing she'd ever seen. "Look at this! 'Professional Bad-Ass!'" She chortled as Toriel clasped her hands over Frisk's ears. "Who is this from?!"

You waved shakily. She gave an award winning grin, sliding the sweater over her head and showing it off. You gave her a thumbs up.

The next gift was Frisk's; you'd packaged both the friendship charms and the hoodie in the same box, so they were delighted to find two gifts in one. They beamed at you, clapping excitedly as they draped the hoodie over their head. 

It was then that you received your first gift- if the oversized 'FOR THE TALLER HUMAN' label was any sign, it was from Papyrus. He watched with baited breath as you opened it to reveal a large shirt. On the front it read 'COOLER THAN YOU.' You laughed and thanked him for it, and he seemed ecstatic you liked it.

For a while, no gifts to or from you seemed to be passed around. Then, Toriel pulled out the snail-sweater you got her and she gave you a warm, pleasantly surprised smile. Papyrus loved the tiny skeleton replica you'd decorated to look like him, and the skeleton-themed mug you'd gotten him to go along with it. Flowey tolerated the scarf you'd gotten him, and seemed to like the 'CAN STILL FIGHT YOU' sticker you'd gotten to attach to the front of his pot.

You'd gotten several large, though also very nice, sweaters and even a new hoodie that had in large text on the front "DOGS WELCOME, HUMANS TOLERATED." From your boss, you got a small, dog shaped necklace charm and a new pair of knit mittens. From Undyne, though, you also got a shirt that read 'I'd *small clip art bone* that.' You'd frowned at her, but ended up laughing anyway. You didn't let Sans see it, for both your sakes.

Sans got a few odd gifts here and there, mostly books, though also the usual bottle of condiments. He started fidgeting as the last few gifts were passed around, casting glances under the tree as if waiting for something.

You realized what he was waiting for when someone tossed him his gift from you; it seemed he recognized the wrapping paper and instantly brightened. Anxiety made your gut turn over; what if he didn't like it?

"I, uh, didn't really know what to get you, so I kind of ended up winging it." You shrugged, rubbing your arm and looking away. Everyone was watching by this point.

He flashed a smile. "i'm sure i'll love it since it's from you." 

You blushed and smiled meekly from the attention. Alphys giggled.

Then he was peeling back the paper and your anxiety came rushing back. First he pulled out the shirt and read it aloud, earning several groans and a betrayed look from Papyrus. He leaned over and nuzzled your cheek, causing you to turn very pink. He chuckled, then picked up the wrapped book from the bottom of the box.

"a gift within a gift? boy, i must be the luckiest skeleton alive." He chuckled, slipping it out of the paper within a few seconds. He read the worn cover and curiosity seemed to fill his gaze. He flipped it open and began to leaf through the different images, pausing on the map of the sky.

You fidgeted, playing with your sleeves. "I was actually looking at it when Toriel came up and asked about it. I told her I'd always wanted to see a sky utterly filled with stars and be able to point out all the constellations, and she said you liked the stars too, so, I thought..." You flushed, averting your gaze. "I thought maybe we could do it together some day."

That earned a chorus of "Awwww"s.

Sans, pulling his gaze away from the page, looked at you in surprise. Then he dropped the book and pulled you closer, nuzzling your cheek vigorously. You giggled and squirmed, blushing.

"Sto-ha-ha-ha-op! I-I'm ticklish!"

He chuckled breathily against your skin. "duly noted. thank you." With one last nudge, he pulled away. "you know anything about constellations?" 

You scooted closer, picking up the book once more. "A bit. Mostly the mythology behind the figures."

"show me." He smiled and took one half of the book, propping it between you.

"Sure thing." You flipped through it for a little bit. "Oh, Orion is a good start..."

With that, the group slowly dispersed, conversing and discussing the gifts they'd given or received. Luka rested her soft head upon your lap, blinking drowsily as you and Sans chatted and joked idly about the mythos and improbability of the constellations. 

For the first time in weeks, everything was back to normal.

Sparing a glance in Sans' direction, you smiled at the way he animatedly read over the descriptions of the mythological creatures and the broad, genuine grin spread across his face.

Perhaps, this was even better then normal.


	27. Everything is as it should be

It was now nearing the ending of January, and you'd finally gotten the cast off your dominant hand and gotten the A-okay from the doctor to go with the ankle brace. You were celebrating by sitting on Sans' bed, Luka lying contentedly before you, waiting for the laundry to dry.

You hummed a familiar tune, calmly running a brush through your dog's shaggy fur. It felt nice to be able to just sit and relax like this, after nearly an entire month of nothing but anxiety. 

Sans, spread out behind you with a certain nearly-full grown cat sleeping on his stomach(?), was gazing at the ceiling through a tired smile. It was finally his day off from working the mishmash of odd jobs he'd accumulated and he, as usual, decided to spend it doing nothing that involved moving.

"This is nice." You eventually said quietly, smiling down at Luka as she blinked sleepily.

Sans hummed in agreement.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask." You stuck out your legs, gently lifting Luka's head away from your lap so you could stand. Sans rolled his head to watch you as you stretched. "By when do you want me out of here?"

A frown worked its way to his relaxed expression. "what do you mean?"

You raised an eyebrow at him as you paused at the door. "I mean, now that I'm all healed up, I should be moving back into my place." You walked off, almost unsteadily, toward the laundry room. 

Upon getting there, you stuck a hand into the dryer to feel if everything had dried out. Upon feeling Sans' warm and fuzzy hoodie, you pulled it out and buried your face into the fluffy rim, taking a deep breath. It smelled fresh, warm, familiar. With a smile, you pulled away and folded it up, putting it off to the side. You were surprised when your skele-boyfriend's familiar hand immediately pulled it away.

"thanks, babe." He said simply, slipping into it. He'd dropped his usual nicknames of pal and bud for cutesy, cheesier ones instead. You should have been used to them by now, but you weren't. You blushed.

"Of course." You picked up a basket and filled it with the warm, clean clothes. When you went to pick it up and head off to the living room to fold it, you were surprised to see a familiar blue glow lifting it away. "Um, Sans, I can take that." 

"i've got it." He trailed away into the living room with it, you close behind. He set it beside the couch and sat, you soon sitting beside him. 

"Thanks for helping me with this." You said, pulling out a sweater Toriel had gotten you and smiling at the small bones stitched into the trimming. 

"no problem, babe." He picked out one of Papyrus' shirts and went about folding it.

"You know, it's funny, I never see you touch your own clothes, but you'll do Pap's." You shot him a dubious look, pulling out a t-shirt that read 'Bad to the *small clip art bone*' and purposefully waving it at him before folding it.

He shrugged, grinning. "seems to take a lot more effort to do your own laundry than to do someone else's."

You shook your head, chuckling. "By the way, if you ever think of a deadline for when I should be out of here, let me know."

He seemed to think for a moment, tapping his chin, before nodding to himself and going back to the laundry (purposefully avoiding his own clothes). 

"how about never?"

"Eh?"

"why not just stay with us? you've already got all your clothes here, you've got a room, your pets like it here," at this he nodded to Specter, who'd made himself comfortable in the basket of clean clothes, "Paps likes having you around, and you seem happy here." 

You were dumbfounded for several moments. "But, we've been only been dating for like, less than a month?"

"so? we've been friends for seven, and you've already been staying for nearly two."

"But, I can't just..." You waved a hand. "I mean, I'd have to sell the house?"

"we know people."

"What about all the stuff in there?" 

"we'll figure something out."

"... The flowers, Sans?" You hadn't wanted to bring it up, since you had been so happy recently, but it almost seemed you had to.

He paused halfway through folding a sweater of yours, then resumed. "we can still go to see them. it's not like that's private property. besides, who would notice?"

You sighed, running out of ideas as you dropped a folded pair of jeans beside you. "Sans... This is a small house."

"that's the charm to it."

"I mean, I don't want to... hinder you. Be a nuisance."

His hand found yours as you reached for another pair of jeans. His fingers gently entangled with yours, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. You couldn't look at him.

"babe." He was talking gently now, not so nonchalant. "you're not. you're my verte-bae," ah, yes, he'd adopted that as the official title, apparently, "and i don't mind having you close. as a matter of fact, i'd be that much happier having you where i could always reach you without having to teleport. if it's us you're worried about bothering, don't. if you'd rather not stay, that's okay. just say so."

You put your hand to your cheek, wiping away a tear you don't when you'd shed. "That's just it, Sans." You chuckled out, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know if I could go back to that empty house." 

He grabbed both your wrists, pulling you quickly into him. He placed his arms gently around you when you fell against his ribcage. Surprised, it took you a moment to realize he was giving you the okay to cry. You sighed against him, reclining into the embrace.

The truth was that you'd never wanted to admit it, but that house was full of mournful memories, creeping around every corner. It was so, so quiet. Too quiet after all of what had happened recently; you'd already grown so used to the gentle clamor that seemed to always engulf the skelehousehold. The shadows of Molly, Dusty and Tumble seemed to follow you around that place and, while you didn't intend to forget them, you didn't want to live each day followed by the shadow of all that sadness.

But at the same time, you hadn't wanted to say "Yes, I'll stay" and expect a gig for however long this lasted, only for there to be some sudden complication and you're, far too quickly, forced back into the house that whispered of the things you hadn't done.

You gave Sans a squeeze, reminding yourself this was real.

"you okay, babe?"

You nodded against his collarbone, taking deep breaths to stop the tears. After a moment, you pulled away. 

"I feel like I really don't deserve you, you know." You smiled at him, giving his hand a squeeze.

He chuckled. "you deserve so much more, to be honest. you okay to stay?"

"To be honest, at this point, I don't think I've ever wanted anything more." 

He grinned wider. "good, cause now i'm not letting you go for at least an hour." 

Before you could respond, he proceeded to fall back onto the couch, dragging you with him. You wanted to argue you should finish folding before Specter got hair all over everything, but couldn't bring yourself to when he nuzzled the top of your head, breathing a sigh of happiness that ruffled and tickled your hair, causing you to smile.

You relaxed into the calm, loose embrace, resting your head against his sternum. At some point, Luka joined the party and spread out alongside your feet, groaning contentedly. Feeling tired, you leaned up and gave Sans a peck beneath the eye before snuggling back into his oddly comfortable ribcage and breathing a nice, deep sigh.

"This is nice." You whispered out, dozing off.

Sans hummed in agreement, looking half asleep as he gently ran a hand up and down your back.

And all at once, it felt like everything was as it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, guess what?
> 
> That's the end. 
> 
> You have no idea how much I loved writing this, and how much your support meant to me! Thank you, all of you, for reading, commenting and leaving kudos and I'm so, so happy you enjoyed this weird roller coaster of emotions! I appreciate each and every one of you, so stay determined, cause someone really cares about you! ;)
> 
> But, now it's all drawn to a close. 
> 
> That was the original plan, anyway. 
> 
> However, I have a lot of little, domestic-relationship chapters I really want to write, but I feel like it'd be awkward to tack them on now. So, how about we compromise? 
> 
> How many of you would read a sequel, based mostly around Reader and Sans' growing relationship, with only a paper thin plot until I can actually think of one, if one at all? Leave a comment and let me know!


	28. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note! Please read.

Well, this is the end of this fic, but not the end of the story!

Yes, there will be/already is, depending on when you're reading this, a sequel to this fic! It will focus both on Sans and Reader's growing relationship and the hardships they find there and Gaster! 

Yes, I heard your cries! And I will not leave the mysteries unsolved. The sequels main 'plot' focuses on the Reader trying to explain how they know the man that no longer exists to the son of the man who no longer exists. At least, that's what I'm going for. (Mostly it'll just be relationship stuff tbh.)

It will either be called:

A tale of Dog and Monster: Sequel Edition  
or  
A tale of Dog and Monster: Gaster Shenanigans Edition !!

(Yes, you may suggest which you like more, unless one has already been chosen :P)


End file.
